Unless you’re the type of person who craves chaos and disorder to feel energised and alive, then you’ll understand the need for keeping your workspace clean and tidy.
A study by Harvard University involving the productivity of students tasked with working in environments of different levels of clutter, found that students who worked in a clean workspace were able to work for 7.5 minutes longer, than those attempting the task in a cluttered workspace.
Organisation is key
Files strewn everywhere? Post-it notes scattered over your screen? Struggling to find that all important meeting document for your boss under piles of other papers? Getting organised could be the solution to all your problems.
Grab yourself an in/out tray. Every morning before you start your daily tasks, check what you completed yesterday. Can you pop anything completed in your out tray? Is there anything urgent in your in tray that needs finishing ASAP? By organising your tasks like this, you’ll be on the path to ensuring you never miss a deadline again.
Can’t remember where you put a client’s file in amongst all the chaos? Develop a filing system that works for you. Whether you want to organise your files alphabetically or by date, getting everything in order can give you a head start next time you’re looking for something in a rush.
Personalise in moderation
Want a picture of your significant other or children on your desk? This is a great way to add a dash of personalisation to your workspace. But do you really need a photo of your cat, dog or your neighbours’ aunt’s goldfish? We doubt it. Personalise your desk in moderation and keep things minimal if you can.
Try adding a small plant to add a bit of colour to your desk, but avoid developing it into a small jungle that would start to attract its own population of bugs if left unattended over the weekend.
Keep pesky cables at bay
We all know the amount of cables that now take up residence on our desks at work. From laptop cables and chargers to monitor cables and mouse leads, trying to keep them all in check can take time out of your already busy day.
Buy a handy bag of cables ties like the ones from RS Components. By tying all your cables into little groups, you can save on space and make your desk look as clean and tidy as possible.