28th February 2022
If you feel stressed when you are at your desk each day, chances are it’s because of the clutter. The saying really is true – a tidy desk is a tidy mind. Decluttering your desk and your workspace can be a great way of reducing stress. Removing the excess ‘stuff’ on your desk can benefit your mental health by making you feel calmer, happier and more in control.
There will also be more space for you to spread out, instead of feeling cramped into a corner of your office or desk. This will once more, benefit your mental health to keep you working productively, efficiently and happily.
The Mental Health Benefits Of Decluttering Your Workspace
Studies show that untidy work environments will often increase stress in people. In fact, one study showed that women who described their homes with positive language had a lower level of the stress hormone called cortisol. This was compared to women that described their homes as unfinished or cluttered. This study shows us how much a cluttered workplace can really affect a person’s stress levels at work.
However, other studies show different benefits of decluttering your workspace. For example, orderly and tidy work environments are often linked to healthy food and exercise choices. Meanwhile, an untidy or cluttered desk can impact creativity and fresh ideas. This means you should make space to be ‘untidy’, so you can be creative. However, this doesn’t mean that your desk needs to be untidy and cluttered all the time.
Further research shows that the task of decluttering can actually promote productivity as well as improvements in both mental and physical health. Below we have listed some of the mental and physical health benefits of decluttering your workspace.
Improved Focus
Decluttering your workspace makes it easy to find what you are looking for. This means that there are fewer things to distract you. By getting rid of visual clutter around your workspace, you will be able to better focus on the task at hand.
Higher Self-Esteem
When you have clutter all around, you can feel like you are struggling to stay organised. In turn, this can make you feel out of control. By decluttering your workspace, you can restore your feelings of competency and pride. This will lead to feelings of being in control and being organised once more.
Better Relationships
If you feel unable to control your clutter or stay organised, this can lead to feelings of stress. Finding another person’s things among your clutter can lead to arguments or conflict at home or work. If you are working from home, you may also be concerned about inviting friends around in case they see your cluttered or untidy workspace. This can result in unintentionally damaging relationships with friends.
Now we have seen some of the benefits of decluttering your workspace, let’s look at how you can declutter your workplace.
Tips For Decluttering Your Workspace
If you like the sound of these physical and mental health benefits of decluttering your workspace, then let’s get started on decluttering your workspace. If you make the decluttering process you will enjoy the task and the final result more too. So, check out our decluttering tips to make the process more stress-free.
Start Small
Pick one thing at a time to start decluttering. If you start small you will feel a sense of achievement quickly. This will motivate you to continue. However, choosing a large area to start, can take time and leave you feeling disheartened or like you aren’t getting anywhere. Instead, opt for a small drawer or a cabinet for example. The well-organised and decluttered space will serve as positive feedback. In turn, this will prompt you to do more.
Set A Date
Plan a date to have it complete by. You can do this by planning something for the end date. For example, if you work from home then why not invite friends around for dinner on the end date. This way you have a real deadline that cannot be pushed back. That said, it’s a good idea to give yourself a little bit more time than you think it will take. Decluttering can take time and in some cases, more time than you expect. Give yourself some breathing space and don’t make your deadline too tight.
Be Kind To Yourself!
Don’t judge your workspace against someone else’s. There is no need to hide away all the items that you use regularly. This will just annoy you in the long run. There is no need to strive for perfection, you just need a workspace that is perfect for you. Think about the items you want in your workspace and the items that you use regularly and put this somewhere that works for you.
Decluttering Your Workspace
If you find you just have too many belongings in your workplace and lots aren’t needed, then maybe it is time to declutter and clear out. In some industries, you need to keep documents and files for a set number of years. If this is the case for you, why not use business storage units to store these files and records somewhere safe, and out of your way. Look at the over-filled filing cabinets or boxes piled high. How much room and space could you save by putting these items into secure storage?
Limiting the number of things that you have on your desk can reduce the number of things vying for your attention. Maybe you have a notepad for different projects. You might not want to throw a notepad from a previous project or client away, but do you really need to keep it in your workspace? Why not use a business storage unit to keep all your old notepads and details of closed projects and clients? Label the boxes and then you know where to find the notes if you need them in the future.
Want to know more about self-storage facilities for your business storage needs? Call our team of storage specialists today. We work with lots of businesses offering them the secure storage they need for their business files and documents. Even if you have extra marketing materials you only need for one exhibition a year, we can store these too. It’s your secure storage and you can use it for whatever business storage you have.
You’ll certainly have a cleaner, clearer and more clutter-free workspace when you use our business storage solutions. This will lead to a much better mood and improved mental health for you – and who knows what that could lead you to achieve!
