Whether you work from home or at an office, chances are, you’ve noticed how this environment influences your job performance—for better or worse. If you feel prone to chronic stress, fatigue, procrastination, and frequent distractions, your workspace could be to blame and decluttering could be the answer.

Scan your desk. Is it organized or full of clutter? Does it reflect a sense of order or chaos? What about your computer? Is each document, application, and inbox arranged in a way that allows for quick access and easy browsing? Or do you feel overwhelmed at the number of scattered files, message alerts, and open tabs on your screen?

Both digital and physical clutter can interfere with your workflow. In this installment of The Productivity Box, let’s dive into the benefits of decluttering for optimal efficiency.

The impact of clutter on your work performance

A cluttered space can intensify feelings of occupational stress and emotional burnout, which reduces job motivation and satisfaction. That’s because the brain needs a setting free of distractions or interruptions in order to function at its full capacity.

As you may realize, too much clutter can impact your cognitive resources, mental health, and work performance in many ways—including some that you’re not expecting. For example, you may experience:

• More anxiety or depression
• Disturbances in sleep quality
• Absenteeism or turnover intent
• Less organizational commitment
• Difficulty processing information
• Increase in task-related errors
• Chronic depletion or fatigue
• Lack of attention or concentration
• Decision-making impairment

It’s not hard to see how these outcomes can take a toll on productivity—but the inverse is true as well. Recent data shows a direct correlation between decluttering and an increase in energy, focus, positive emotions, mental clarity, and creative thinking.

In other words, it’s time to reorganize your workspace.

Decluttering your environment for a productivity boost

You don’t have to be the next Marie Kondo to maintain a clutter-free environment that inspires a more alert, efficient, productive flow state. Just use the decluttering strategies below to remove unnecessary clutter from both your actual workspace and your digital devices.

This will free up your mind to focus on projects that matter—not on the chaos accumulating around you.

Prioritize what you need, then eliminate the rest

Take inventory of all the items on your desk. Now, separate them into two categories: what is required to perform your job and what is taking up valuable space. Consider each object’s relevance. All the office materials you use on a regular basis should be within reach, but you can toss that pile of documents from a few years back.

If an item no longer has a clear, serviceable function, it doesn’t belong in the work environment. But if you do need access to certain items that are too large for your desk surface, maximize the surrounding wall areas. Shelves, hooks, or other vertical organizers will help reduce clutter and increase storage.

They can offer an aesthetic, decorative accent, too.

Reconfigure the space for maximum efficiency

Look around your entire office. Are there any bottleneck areas disrupting your workflow? Do you have to reach over a large pile of paperwork to grab your phone? Address these with some simple organization.

Next, evaluate the ergonomics of this space. Are your desk, chair, computer, and other furniture or equipment situated for optimal comfort, usage, and retrieval? If the current office layout isn’t conducive to your needs, make a few practical adjustments. For example:

• Invest in a filing cabinet for important documents.
• Use a cord organizer to consolidate all tech cables.
• Position the desk away from distractions, then clear an unobstructed pathway to reach it.

This easy reconfiguration will promote a more convenient, functional environment, which can streamline your overall work performance.

Block out time for a regular office clean sweep

Set aside time in your schedule at least once a month to clear out your workspace. As this becomes a regular habit, you’ll find it much easier to manage clutter and keep yourself organized. Even small tasks such as transferring files to the cabinet, returning pens to their holder, or putting books on a shelf will create more room to work.

If you’re not sure how to prioritize this in a schedule that feels too full already, use the time-blocking method. Allocate a specific chunk of time to declutter—for example the third Wednesday of each month, from 4:50 – 5:00 PM. Then, automate a recurring alert in your phone calendar for that day and time.

This will hold you accountable for doing it without eating into other tasks—or ignoring it altogether.

Perform an audit of the clutter on your computer

A recent survey found that more than 50 percent of U.S. office employees waste valuable time searching for content or data on their computers. This is why it’s also important to remove the excess clutter from your digital workspace.

Audit all the tools and platforms in your tech stack to increase their operational efficiency and improve your time management. Here are some particular areas to focus your attention on:

• Erase duplicate files and clear out the desktop trash bin regularly.
• Sort all of your documents into relevant folders for quick, easy access.
• Optimize the home screen on your devices for a user-friendly interface.
• Create folders in your email inbox to categorize and archive all messages.
• Remove any downloads, extensions, or bookmarks you no longer need.
• Store login passwords or other sensitive data in a secure password app.
• Clear out the internet browser cache periodically to free up online storage.
• Reduce the open tabs on your screen to boost processing functionality.
• Maintain an organizational system for all the virtual applications you use.

No, seriously, did you shut down those open browser tabs?! This exercise won’t work if you don’t do it 😀

Make room for productivity

Decluttering all aspects of your work environment will reduce stress, minimize distractions, boost energy levels, and increase mental capacity. This makes it easier to focus on the quality of deliverables without succumbing to procrastination or external interruptions.

Therefore, devote some time to clearing out your workspace and your electronic devices and watch your work performance flourish. And keep reading my monthly series with practical productivity hacks.