Do you find it harder to keep your desk organized when you’re working from home? It might be easier to stay organized in an office environment where there is less space and room for personal expression but working from home comes with its own set of challenges. If you’re not intentional about setting up a system for where to place and find things, clutter will pile up, causing stress and killing your productivity.
Lucy Lyle, the founder of Perch, observes, “Many people underestimate how easy it is to form small piles of clutter at their workspaces. If you haven’t clearly delineated a desk or container for specific types of objects, it can be easy to place an assortment of unrelated items inside it.” Lucy Lyle continues, “This is why it’s so important to have a system. Otherwise, you won’t know where to place things and you’ll have a harder time finding objects when you need them the most.”
In addition to wasting employees’ time by forcing them to look for objects, clutter can also affect the attitude employees have toward their work. Lucy Lyle explains, “Clutter is a sign of a nonchalant, undisciplined attitude that can bleed into your work’s quality. Keeping your workspace organized shows maturity, thoughtfulness, and pride in your work. If you care about the work that you do, you’ll know that the smallest details and habits can affect your productivity.”
If having a system for organizing your desk sounds tedious, there are simple principles you can use to formulate a system that is easy to understand. First, keep the most essentials within arm’s reach, since you’ll be reaching for them the most. Second, remove all the unnecessary objects that you don’t need on a regular basis. These principles will help you remove clutter and make remote work easier and more rewarding.