Clutter is a big problem for numerous reasons – it gets in the way, it makes it difficult to find stuff. In fact, I think that de-cluttering your surroundings is so important to your overall wellbeing I have an entire section called Clutter 101 dedicated to it. But what about the psychological effect? It’s great being able to find your keys, know exactly where your passport is and not have to dig through piles of paperwork to find that old receipt, but it goes much deeper than that.
Clutter can distract you because not only can it look like a big, ugly mess, but – and this is the key point – it also represents something incomplete that requires your attention. That pile of clothes in the corner of your bedroom is much more than that in your subconscious; it represents something you’re going to have to act on at some point. You’re eventually going to have to put them in the laundry basket, wash them, etc. otherwise you’ll have no clothes to wear (your brain may nag at you but it does care). Every time you walk past the pile, those thoughts will be there in your mind.
But so what? There are billions of people who survive and function without stressing about a bit of clutter around the house. And sure, perhaps one or two instances of clutter aren’t such a big deal, but imagine if your entire home is full of clutter, or your office has paperwork lying around everywhere when you’re tying to read a report or maybe your work desk is cluttered up with stationary when you’re trying to concentrate on your emails.
Our minds like order and structure so clutter is naturally a big distraction. Every little thing that is out of place takes up a little bit of your mind. As David Allen likes to say, it has a piece of you. If you’re sat at your desk and it has a pile of pens strewn over it, a load of paperwork that should have been piled away or shredded ages ago and – oh dear – an empty bowl of cereal from my breakfast yesterday that I haven’t cleaned up yet, it’s easy to see the difficulties in trying to work in that environment. While you’re typing away on the computer, a part of your brain is subtly nagging at you to put those pens back in the drawer.
The simple answer to all this is to clear the decks. The next time you start some work, look around your direct environment and identify any loose ends or clutter. Deal with those first and foremost so that when you’re sat on your computer, in the office or whatever, and wanting to work, the only thing that should be taking up your energy is what’s directly in front of you.
Productivity Tips: 10 Clever Ideas For Getting Things Done is an updated and expanded collection of the first ten posts in my popular productivity tips series and is now available to all. For full information please view its dedicated page.
September 14, 2009 Productivity Tips
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