The Impact of a Tidy Workspace on Your Mental Health

Beyond a hectic work schedule, a decluttered and messy workstation could hamper your ability to focus and meet tight deadlines.

Even if you are buried under a ton of paperwork, an organised workstation is within your grasp. You can successfully tidy up and maintain a clean workspace, even if your input tray never empties.

Read on for practical, tidy office tips on how to desk declutter. Plus, we're sharing our top office supplies to help you achieve a productive work-life balance! Join us as we explore how to create a picture-perfect and tidy workspace.

The Impact Of a Messy Desk

What's wrong with an untidy desk if you're a high-achieving, hard-working employee? Affecting your moods, your reputation, and your coworkers, being messy at work is more impactful than you might think.

Here's why you should aim to create a more productivity-enhancing workspace. Influences Your Mood

Arriving at the office to yesterday's leftover snacks and crumpled paper is a rough start to the day, even if you're used to it.

Being constantly around a mess can also be overwhelming, affecting productivity. Need to finish a report for your boss but can't find what you need amid piles of paper? Conversely, a clutter-free and tidy workspace may have the reverse effect, helping you feel clear-headed and focused on work.

Damages Your Professional Image

Office pests might welcome your coffee cups stash and greasy takeout boxes. But your coworkers? Less so. Even if you're a top performer, others may name you the office slob.

In an open-plan office, a rubbish-strewn workstation can strain professional relationships. While you might not intend to spread your mess, failing to clean up after yourself can come across as disrespectful.

And it's not only dynamics with your fellow employees at risk. Messy traits can also hurt your career. Passed over for that latest promotion? Your self-made mess might seen as unprofessional.

Take the time to declutter regularly. It speaks volumes about your character and your treatment of shared space.

What Are the Benefits of a Tidy Workspace?

Cleaning may feel like a real chore, but maintaining your desk comes with real. A polished workspace can boost your productivity, change your mindset, and increase your job satisfaction.

Here are a few reasons to aim for a clean desk.

Fights Off Germs

If the past few years have taught us anything, it's the importance of hygienic practices, especially in shared office spaces where germs may spread like wildfire.

Here's an alarming fact: Office equipment is estimated to be 400 times filthier than an actual toilet seat. You read that right: the workspace is a breeding ground for illness.

Instead of avoiding the office or working from the toilet (yikes), take control of your desk space with a much-needed clean. Wipe down surfaces and remove junk for a hygienic and tidy workspace.

Be More Efficient

Does your workstation resemble your browser history, cluttered with various tabs open at once?

Sure, having various documents and projects surrounding your desk might make it feel like you're a masterful multitasker in a fast-paced world. Still, a crammed desk can reduce focus and productivity. Before you know it, you're anxious and burned out. Banish office clutter for good while maintaining your title as a multitasker. Start by clearing your desk and categorising your work into clearly prioritised piles.

Find Stuff Easily

Not only is a productive workspace aesthetically pleasing, but it's also valuable for your productivity and peace of mind.

With every piece of stationery, document, and file accounted for, you can say goodbye to frantic paper hunts and hello to interruption-free productivity.

Steps To Achieving a Tidy Workspace

For big or small messes - manageable paper piles to mammoth-sized clutter, these easy hacks will help you turn your office den into a tidy workplace sanctuary.

Purge, Purge, Purge

Sure, decluttering may be challenging. Also time-intensive. But you can turn your paper-strewn desk into a well-managed and tidy workspace. One that sparks creativity and enhances your productivity.

To purge successfully, be honest about what is and isn't essential. You don't have to remove nostalgic memorabilia or keepsakes - hold onto those family photos. However, it might be time to bin your old restaurant menus. You're not going to use them. Ever.

It doesn't hurt to reframe your perspective, either. Instead of considering it a chore, see the experience as you take charge of banishing clutter. You might even feel empowered by it.

Be Mindful About What You Chuck Onto Your Desk

Do you often throw your keys or handbag onto your desk when you arrive at work? Non-related work things can eat up valuable desk space.

Worried about losing things or feeling weighed down by personal stuff? Storing valuable items in your own locker will keep them safe while solving the overcrowding issue.

Go Digital, For a Tidy Workspace

Going paperless means you can maintain a litter-free workstation and do your bit for the planet. Online storage systems like The Cloud let you store and access all the resources you need in one space.

Opt for digital calendars to diary your appointments, rather than relying on notoriously unreliable and easily lost sticky notes. 

If you need printed documents, why not scan them onto your computer and download them as PDFs? Doing this lets you say goodbye to stray bits of paper circulating your desk forever. 

Keep Your Cables Neatly Bundled Together

Having cables and cords haphazardly lying everywhere isn't merely a tangled distraction in your tidy workspace environment; if you have pets around, it can also be a dangerous choking hazard.

Tether them out of the way in a neat bundle, out of sight and out of mind.

The same goes for electronics that don't need to be on your desk, like your router with its continually blinking lights. These gadgets can be hidden if they serve no use on your desk.

Segment Your Desk 

Divide your desk into different zones for work. For example, work in separate areas for focus and creative brainstorming. Physically moving between these areas helps you switch between tasks.

Put Office Supplies Away

Removing shared items from your doesn't just reduce visual clutter.

Putting communal equipment back where it belongs is a small gesture that shows you're a team player who doesn't hog the whiteboard markers.

Clear Your Computer Of Unnecessary Files

Your tidy workspace might appear spartan, but what does your PC's desktop look like?

Sifting through a digital mess of files and icons can also be mentally draining. Save yourself the stress by planning regular computer cleanups

What Do I Need On My Desk to Perform Better?

Now that we've looked at all the non-essential items a workstation can do without, what office must-haves support productivity and elevate work lives?

If you work from home, you've probably tried and tested a few makeshift workstations, experiencing varying degrees of success. You've probably reached similar conclusions on the below. 

• Ditch the bed: A bed or sofa offers plenty of comfort to its user, but it puts you in the wrong mental state to perform meaningful work. Why? Because our minds associate different environments with specific tasks. While you may already know it, your brain will associate a bed with sleep and a couch or sofa with deep relaxation. Therefore, it's essential to carve out a dedicated workstation with a desk, chair and other office equipment that offer comfort without making you too relaxed.

• Invest in ergonomic furniture: Just as your mattress is essential, the chair you sit on all day must be comfortable and supportive of your back. It should reduce strain and help you focus for longer.

• Organise a desk lamp: Whether working from the office or at home, good lighting is key for peak productivity. Ideally, you need decent lighting with adjustable brightness and warmth. Relying on fluorescent overhead light - or worse, working in the dark can strain your eyes, lack ambience, and drain your energy. 

Budget-friendly Hacks to Spruce Up Your Tidy Workspace

New ergonomic seating, lofty desks, nifty benefits, fancy gear, and trendy decor might be out of reach for your home office or company's budget.

Using the following hacks, you can enjoy a full office makeover anyway. Save yourself from back trouble and more by turning your subpar desk space into a fully functional one.

Why stop there? Add a few personal touches also to enliven the space.

• Transform your regular chair: No ergonomic chairs? No problem! Upgrade dining room chairs with a seat cushion to protect your spine and feel more comfortable.

• Switch it up: Use the different nooks and corners of the home or office (if it's allowed) for a change of scenery and renewed focus.

• Tune out the noise: If the hustle and bustle of home or office life gets overwhelming, noise cancelling headphones can get you in the zone.

• Go green: A full office space makeover isn't complete without a touch of greenery. Beyond improving mental health, desk plants may also aid in productivity, attentiveness, and concentration. 

• Get your caffeine (or tea) fix: If you're a tea or coffee drinker, invest in a French press, a Bodum Teapot or a nice kettle to start every day with your favourite hot drink.

• Make it your own: Turn your desk space into an extension of yourself. Add (work-appropriate) personal touches, like photographs or art, that brighten your mood and give you daily inspiration.
  

Takeaway: From Being the Office Snob to Tidy Guru

Tidying up your desk and getting rid of garbage is more than being an efficient worker; it's good for the mind and soul. You're also acting out of consideration for your desk neighbours, who won't appreciate your paper-clogged desk or heaped bin.

While it may seem daunting, we've listed some tidy office tips to help you get started. Even if tidiness isn't a strong suit, you can become an organisational guru with a tidy workspace.

Finally, your desk is clean, but does it feel unsupportive or impersonal? Use our guide on what basics you need to create a fully functional workspace you love.

So what are you waiting for? Pave the way to having a productive workspace by clearing the clutter once and for all.