New Year, New You: Tidy Your Workspace
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The Benefits of Organizing your Workspace
According to a study by Cornell University, they found that organization improves mental health.
Declutter Helps:
increased productivity / less distractions
improves time management
find MORE joy in the work that you do
PHYSICAL clarity helps with MENTAL clarity
Clutter Causes:
brain to get overwhelmed
harder to recognize things that make you happy
lose your sense of control & decision making
Increases cortisol levels aka stress hormones
If your workspace is messy and is out of control and you’re looking to organize it, then you are at the right place! Remember, tidying is not about just tidying the “physical” space, but also your “mental” space and well-being.
First, set a goal in mind. Below are some examples to help you:
■Objective 1: Create a clutter-free workspace
■Objective 2: Establish an efficient organizational system
■Objective 3: Boost productivity and focus
Once you have your goals in place, let’s get to it!
Here are 5 Tips to transforming your workspace:
TIP #1: Organize in the RIGHT ORDER.
Ideally, you organize by category so you can build your' “tidy muscle” to boost your ability of what to let go or keep:
Clothes: work clothes, shoes or uniforms
Books: Practical (reference, job related), General (books to read for fun or enrichment), Magazines
Papers: Course materials, warranties, receipts, important documents i.e. contracts, pay stubs, records
Komono (Miscellaneous): For the office: electronics, pens/highlighters, snacks, vitamins, Post It Notes, Holiday decor
Sentimental: Greeting cards, souvenirs, photos of coworkers or family
TIP #2: Gather everything in ONE place aka “the pile” for each category
By doing this, you have a sense of HOW MUCH you have. Trust me, you will be SHOCKED by this exercise to see how much has accumulated over the years.
For example, if you’re trying to organize your “junk drawers’ in your office, take everything out. You will be shocked with what you pull out. Sometimes an old photo that got lost in the waaay back of that drawer. Or an expired candy bar you meant to eat but had to hide when a coworker walked by to ask you a question.
TIP #3: Discard INTENSELY and COMPLETELY!
Pick up each item (yes even that cute Hello Kitty bobblehead), and ask yourself “Does this SPARK JOY in my workspace?”
If YES, keep it!
If NO, thank it (many of my clients like to say out loud because it’s cathartic). Try channeling Ariana Grande and say “THANK YOU, NEXT!”
This exercise may feel a bit awkward at first, but the more you do it, the more it will feel amazing!
TIP #4: Sort like items with like items
This is where MANY of my clients struggle. When they have so much of everything and everything, it gets difficult to know what goes with what. Just start with organizing “big bucket categories”. For the office, STATIONERY is one. Another, ELECTRONICS. One that everyone has: SNACKS. Just go through each item one by one, and setup those categories to sort!
TIP #5: Give everything a HOME
Once you’ve 1. joy checked 2. figured out best storage solutions, you’re finally ready for the last step: giving everything a home! Now that you know every inventory of what you have, you can give a DEDICATED space for your items. And the final advice I can give you, when you take something out, you MUST ALWAYS RETURN IT TO IT’S HOME. It’s that simple.
YOU GOT THIS! Have questions? Leave a comment below!
FREE TIDY WARRIOR CHECKLIST GUIDE
To help you get a jump start, here’s my FREE Tidy Warrior Checklist Guide to help you with your office (or home) tidying journey! Click to download HERE.
