Tidy Desk, Tidy Mind: How Being Organised At Work Can Improve Your Wellbeing And Productivity

We all know that person in the office whose desk is immaculate: always tidy, perfectly organised, not a pen out of place or an empty crisp packet in sight. And then you have the colleague at the opposite end of the spectrum… their chosen aesthetic is piles of loose papers, empty wrappers strewn about, and a half-eaten apple core that’s been there for a week.

But does the state of your desk really matter? We think so. In this blog post, we’ll list five ways that being organised at work can improve your wellbeing and productivity.

1. Improved Focus

A messy, disorganised desk can cause distractions that take your focus away from work. A nice, clean work surface means you can access your equipment easily, lay out documents or papers you need to refer to, and channel all of your focus into the task at hand. On the contrary, a cluttered and messy desk adds noise and distraction that your brain struggles to ignore. Unfinished projects in your eyeline will pull you off course and make it harder to focus and complete one thing at a time.

If you’re a messy-desk person, notice today how often you lose focus and get distracted by the clutter on your desk.

2. Better Ergonomics

A messy desk and workspace can make you sit and move in ways that are not conducive to good posture, potentially leading to aches and pains in your arms, neck, shoulders and back.

When you have to stretch over and around objects that don’t need to be there, your arms can’t always rest in the ideal position at your keyboard or don’t have room to move your mouse around freely, leading to uncomfortable and awkward movements. Clutter around your desk can also force you to manoeuvre your chair into a less-than-ideal position, hindering adequate postural support.

3. More Efficiency

If you tend to be disorganised and work in a messy environment, it becomes much more challenging to work as efficiently as your colleagues with tidy desks. While you’re frantically looking for that important document you were sure you left on top of the pile but now isn’t there, or that door code you wrote down on a scrap of paper that seems to have disappeared, or the invoice that needs processing today that you just know you left here somewhere… your colleagues are forging ahead with their work.

4. A Professional Appearance

How tidy and organised you are (or are not!) may impact how people judge your capability at work. Being clean, neat, and organised gives off an air of professionalism and the impression that you know what you’re doing and have everything under control. Would you choose someone with a chaotic and unprofessional workspace to deliver an important project on time, manage a complex account, or organise an event, over someone who keeps their deskspace immaculately organised? Probably not.

5. Reduced Anxiety And Stress

For all the reasons mentioned above, a clean, well-organised desk can make your life easier and reduce stress and anxiety. Don’t underestimate the convenience and peace of mind that come from knowing exactly where everything is and being able to carry out your duties in a calm environment.

Conclusion

There are obvious advantages to keeping your workspace and desk clean, tidy and organised. However, it’s interesting to note the difference between mess and personal belongings. Whereas clutter can distract and interrupt your work, family photographs and special items can motivate and inspire you, especially when you’re under pressure.

In conclusion, although being organised is a positive quality, a tidy desk doesn’t necessarily mean a completely bare desk – it’s up to you to find the balance that works.