Clutter happens most often in the places in which you spend a lot of time. You naturally accumulate objects over time, and before you know it, your personal space feels chaotic and cluttered. Clutter in your office or workspace can negatively impact your productivity. All of the time you spend rummaging through desk drawers and piles on your desk could be spent on tasks that will help you do your job better. But clutter in the workspace doesn’t just affect you. Your clutter can make it harder for those around you to get work done, can cause you to be less effective for your customers and clients, and can give your employer the wrong impression about your work ethic. Does your workspace say you’re organized and focused? Or does the clutter in your office scream that you have poor time management skills, and are disorganized and unprepared?
Here are six ways clutter impacts office productivity:
It’s Distracting
When your desk and office space is cluttered, it can be hard to focus on anything else. You are always surrounded by a monumental task that needs to be addressed. When your focus is on finding things on a cluttered desk, it is not focused on problem-solving or coming up with innovative ideas to move the company forward. People who come into your office, whether it is a colleague who needs advice or a customer, may see your cluttered and unorganized desk as a distraction. It can also give your colleagues, employer, and customers the wrong impression about the way you prioritize your responsibilities.
It Wastes Time
The average employee spends 1.5 a day looking for things in their cluttered office. This is valuable work-time that could be spent spending and responding to emails, connecting with customers, answering phone calls, attending meetings, or other things that directly impact their work performance. In business, time is money, which means all the time employees spend rummaging through their desks, looking through piles, or searching for a document costs the company money.
It Decreases Motivation
There is a reason why so many employees find it difficult to work in a space that is crowded, chaotic, and unorganized. A messy workspace can make an employee feel overwhelmed and unmotivated. An unorganized or cluttered desk may make us feel like we’ve already lost control of our environment, and decreases our desire to work through it. For many people, a quick cleanup of their personal space helps them to feel more in control and relaxed. When they feel this way, they are usually more productive. The office is the same way. A quick cleanup and decluttering of your office can give you a fresh perspective on the task at hand and send positive and motivating messages to your brain to strive for productivity.
It Hinders Creativity
A cluttered workspace does not breed creativity. There is a reason why so many people report that it is easier for them to be creative and productive when they are in a space that makes them feel free. Clutter can make you feel overwhelmed and out of control, and it’s just hard to feel creative when you feel these things. Your job is to think critically and creatively, and it can be hard to do it in a workspace that is cluttered and disorganized.
It Causes Stress
According to an article in the New York Times regarding a psychological study on the link between culture and mental health, “clutter can negatively impact mental well-being, particularly among women. Clutter can also induce a physiological response, including increased levels of cortisol, a stress hormone.” Spending an extended amount of time in a cluttered and environment is not only bad for productivity, but it can also be bad for your health as well.
The Solution
A more freeing, comfortable, and productive workspace is just a phone call away. Here’s how it works in 5 easy steps:
- Schedule some time in your calendar dedicated strictly to the decluttering of your workspace.
- Organize things in three piles: Things you want to sell, things you want to donate, and things you want to recycle
- Schedule an appointment and we will bring a truck and pick up all of your items
- We will take care of all the work getting your clutter to the designated drop off locations
- You’ll receive a receipt for your donations that you can apply toward your taxes, and you earn 50% of all sales of the items you choose to sell.
Take the first step towards a clutter-free work environment. You’ll be amazed at how much more free and more in control you feel, and you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it sooner!