A cluttered workspace and its meaning
And also a few tips on how to declutter your workspace
Have you ever had to look for certain documents in the office and you couldn’t find them? It’s something that happens daily. Did you know that the average person wastes 4.5 hours per week searching for paper?1 And when you eventually can’t find the desired document, you’ll have to print it again and worst case: start from scratch. You can see that it can easily cost the company quite some time & money if there is no clear structure, order and cleanliness.
There are mostly two camps when you ask the question if it’s bad to have a cluttered desk, though. Some people say it evokes creativity and that the biggest innovators had cluttered work spaces. Other people say a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind and that it decreases productivity.
I think workplaces should fall somewhat in between.
Our mind and clutter
A clean desk policy helps to calm things down in your head. Most people fall in the category of “a cluttered desk is a cluttered mind”. When you have a messy desk it has an impact on your mind. When you have a lot of things going on in front of you, you’ll have a lot of impressions. Those impressions might take your mind off of things you should pay attention to. This is multitasking. Studies show that very few people are good at multitasking.2
There’s even a link between procrastination and clutter.3 So bearing all this in mind we see that excessive clutter makes it harder to focus. The human brain can only process so much and when it get’s overloaded, it shows in our working memory.
On the contrary. A variety of studies also show that a disorganized desk evokes creativity and innovation. People who have a messier desk tend to be more creative than others. And isn’t that a necessity in our companies? We need creative souls, innovative people who can think outside the box and come up with innovative ideas to our problems.
So yes, a clean desk isn’t appropriate for everyone. It is a personal choice we should all be able to make. But when working in a company, and with other people, you also have to take care of others. Your clutter might spark creativity to you, but it doesn’t mean that the person next to you is so excited to see your unorganized desk.
Clutter as a hazard at work
Clutter, and more specifically paper can be a severe hazard at work. A place where a desk is overloaded with clutter and paper, it happens easily that a piece of paper falls on the floor without people noticing. When not paying attention you might slip over the paper. Slipping and falling is far more dangerous than people might expect. Over 15 percent of all accidental deaths, the second leading cause of accidental deaths after car accidents, are from simple slips and falls.4
A second big hazard is fire. When designing an industry building for example, paper falls into the most strict fire class there is. It’s quite odd to see that in building regulations this is known, and there’s a lot of attention going to paper being a severe fire hazard, but when it comes to offices we tend to forget this.
Paying attention where and how we store paper is therefore really important.
Finding documents
It’s way easier when you work alone, but from the moment you work with someone else you need structure in your office space. Where will you store certain documents and in which file do they go?
I recommend coming up with a structure which is clear to everyone where to store certain documents. It should be logical to everyone, not just yourself. Remind everyone to store documents back where they belong when you’ve used it.
The same goes for finding documents on your computer. It can be a real maze finding the document you need. Make clear agreements on this. And after a while, open the discussion to see if there is any improvement in the structure you provided
Clutter before/ during/ after work
Knowing that clutter on your desk is a personal choice and it can either enhance your productivity or really work against it, we’ll have to find a balance. Especially when working with other people in the office.
When I look at myself, my brain becomes calm when I see a neatly organized desk. Not much going on, quite “less is more” kind of energy. But the moment I start working I need clutter. I need pens, paper, .. The more the merrier. This generates creativity and I can connect the dots in my head easier. I’m a pretty tactile person and I need to visualize everything.
This also happens in computer programs or when clearing up my apartment. I need to make a big mess before I start clearing things out. I think that has to do with seeing progress. I need a clear ‘before’ and ‘after’ picture to see progress, and that comes along with clutter.
But when everything is done, I can really enjoy clearing up everything and go back to the first state: less is more. A calm mind goes so well with a calm desk, in my opinion.
How to organize paper and computer related spaces
Marie Kondo gives multiple tips on how to organize your workspace. In her book Joy at work Marie talks about how to declutter your e-mails, agenda, computer, time, meetings,..
Paper basic rule: you can toss everything
Collect all paper in your office (everything)
Take letters out of envelopes too
Hold each paper in your hand and put them in subcategories
To deal with
Keep it, because I have to
Keep it, because I want to
When everything is in categories you’re going to store them, or toss them.
Categorie: to deal with (such as bills)
Place them in a binder and put the binder upright
Keep the documents there until you’ve dealt with them
When dealt with: toss them or file them in a different binder
Categorie: keep it, because I have to (contracts, reports, declarations,..)
Organize them per subject
Keep them in seperate binders
Archive binders
In case you don’t need to keep originals: scan them and file them on your computer - toss the original
Categorie: keep it, because I want to (such as references, things that make you happy)
Can you find the same information on the internet?
Do you already have it on your computer?
Does it make me really happy?
Do you need to keep it?
When do you need it?
How long have you had this?
How often do you look at it?
Always store paper UPRIGHT.
I've tried the following steps above by Marie Kondo. It might sound weird but trying to not put down paper and try to put it upright is so much more tidy. I find it calms me down and it helps me focus whenever I need to focus.
Interior design, branding & impact on clients
In my other blogpost I say the following: “Our workplace is a reflection of our brand, culture and our work ethics. But our workplace also evokes emotion and it’s important to induce positive emotions. We want our businesses to be associated with positivity and growth. A person will want to work with you if that person has an emotional connection to the company/ place.”
The same can be applied here. An unorganized workspace raises questions about the company’s brand, culture, work ethics and quality of work. A cluttered office may appear as in: this person has a lot of work, he must be good at it, pays more attention to work than cleaning up,.. But be aware that this is not always the case. A cluttered office might also imply: no structure, lack of prioritization, lack of overview and no respect to the surroundings.
Be aware of extremes
Cluttering, decluttering, organizing, creating chaos,.. It all has an impact. Even super clean environments have a bad impact on us. It’s important to never go the extreme way. Yes, a workspace should be clean. There are multiple people working together and everyone has their own idea of what works and doesn’t work for them personally. We need to respect each other and our surroundings.
We also shouldn’t become too organized so that there’s no room for clutter, mistakes, personality. A moderate amount of clutter or objects make a room livable. It feels like it’s being lived and that it’s okay to make mistakes. It creates a kind of cosy atmosphere which can also enhance overall well-being and a friendly culture.
What are your thoughts of clutter in our working space?
Thanks for reading!
A freshly cleaned desk or inbox give me new energy and a feeling of relief that everything is accounted for.