A Clean And Tidy Workspace Will Increase Your Productivity
Physical decluttering helps your mind declutter
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Most of you will probably be working from home for the foreseeable future. As such your working space might be near your kitchen, your living room, or maybe it is inside your room. This might lead you to have a plate on your desk or to have your grocery shopping window open, or even just a bunch of unnecessary and unrelated things cluttering your space. This might be the reason you are just not as productive as you were, that and the changes that the whole world is going through right now, but we are going focus on the things that we can control: our space.
Your Computer
In today’s day and age, you probably work from a computer, and that can be the most distracting device there is, so you need to pay special attention to decluttering it.
You want to make sure that the things on your computer are not distracting black holes. If you need WhatsApp, Telegram or any other messaging app make sure you turn off the notifications for those chats you know are only there to deviate your attention instead of helping you focus.
You also want to be able to focus on the one (or just a few tasks) you have at hand, so close any other apps or browser windows that you won’t need for your work. Making easier for you to focus, and when the task is done, feel the satisfaction of closing those windows, and clearing your mind for the next task.
Your Desk
Help your brain be less distracted and less stressed by decluttering your desk. Empty it of all the things that aren’t necessary and only add a tiny level of visual contamination that your brain just does not need when you are trying to get into your flow zone (that moment when you are fully immersed in what you are doing and nothing can distract you).
Your Room (Office)
Wherever you work from, make sure that the space around you is also purposefully cleaned and tidy to take your mind away from distractions.
To increase not only your productivity but also your mental health it is good to sit at a place with good natural light, like a window. But make sure you aren’t adding distractions by keeping it open or looking out all the time. It would be ideal if you can have a view of a park or some nature.
And last but not least, realize there is more than one source of distractions. Like sounds (TV, music, etc), smells (kitchen, a bakery nearby), and interactive (babies, pets, chatty neighbors).
Just make sure that for the moments in which you need to focus on your work you are clearing and cleaning out your space so your brain doesn’t have to waste unnecessary energy into bringing back your focus over and over again.
