“When our space is a mess, so are we,” writes Libby Sander. Her research and that of others has shown that our physical environments significantly influence our cognition, emotions and behavior, affecting our decision-making and relationships with others. Cluttered spaces can have negative effects on our stress and anxiety levels, as well as our ability to focus, our eating choice, and even our sleep.
. . . with workplace stress costing American businesses up to $190 billion every year in health care costs alone, it’s time to recognize the role that clutter plays in our work lives . . . and to do something to clean up the mess.
Source: Harvard Business Review, March 25, 2019. Link.
Regularly tidying your workspace, rather than letting things accumulate, is the tried and true way to keep the clutter at bay.
Also see: The motivation science behind the tidying up craze. SmartBrief, January 23, 2019. Link.
A clean desk represents at least one of the following:
the sign of a failing company – if you are an owner
a lack of vision and initiatives existing at a level reaching ones full potential
too much dedication to solo-processing – in fact some decisions are best left to other days
It is much like getting down on people for misspelling words (most brilliant minds – I am not – in the world are horrible spellers – google it 🙂 )
Most people going through all this clearing out and “minimizing” will just fill up those spaces with more crap over the next few years. They will actually use up more financial resources as they replenish.