Many of us subconsciously hold tight to the belief that the more we have, the happier we’ll be. Yet, simultaneously, many of us are familiar with the adage that less is more. But buying stuff is a hard habit to break. Case in point: consumer spending continues to hit record highs. We've accumulated more stuff than ever before.
Though retail therapy can undoubtedly give us a hit of dopamine in the short term, the long-term effects of too many possessions might be more damaging than we realize. In truth, all that extra stuff lying around may be contributing to high stress, low energy, and an inability to focus.
For employers and managers looking to increase productivity and maintain a happy, thriving workforce, clutter could be a massive hindrance. Whether employees are experiencing physical clutter in and around their workspaces or mental clutter that comes from disorganization and an overstuffed calendar, helping your team sift through the excess is critical for maximizing output and, ultimately, increasing your bottom line.
In this post, Mindfulness Strategies, a leader in organizational mindfulness, lays out everything you need to know to help your employees get rid of clutter, clear their minds, and find their focus.
Psychological Effects of Clutter
Clutter–an abundance of possessions or thoughts that creates chaotic and disorderly spaces–plays a significant part in how we feel about our homes, work environments, relationships, and even ourselves.
While many of us are familiar with physical clutter, fewer consider mental/emotional clutter. Mental clutter builds up when the brain is presented with too much information at once. Like physical clutter, mental clutter causes the brain to deplete its energy as it tries to process each competing stimulus simultaneously. Common causes of mental clutter in the workplace include an overabundance of negative emotions, pressing deadlines, and workplace pressures.
The most obvious psychological effect clutter has on our health is the increase in stress levels. When faced with clutter, whether physical or mental, it causes our bodies to produce more cortisol–the hormone that regulates stress. What’s more, if the body is producing heightened levels of cortisol regularly, the amygdala–the part of the brain that processes strong emotions and encodes memories–will actually rewire itself to be more sensitive to stress. Over time, this change to our brains can make it incredibly difficult to manage stressful situations, even after removing any anxiety-producing stimuli.
In addition to making us feel more stressed, clutter can keep us in a constant state of distraction. When presented with jumbled chaos, our brains immediately switch into multi-tasking mode, and our limited processing ability makes it difficult to know where to direct attention.
Clutter can also cause a person to develop feelings of shame and isolation. Just as a neat and tidy office can feel welcoming to those who enter it, a disorganized and messy office might feel jarring and uncomfortable, reducing the likelihood of effective in-person meetings. But shutting people out of our spaces due to feelings of embarrassment can take a toll, sometimes even leading to depression and anxiety disorders.
While in-person meetings have taken a hit during the pandemic, many people are resuming them. As we make the return to face-to-face interaction, it’s important to ensure that meetings are conducted in a space that fosters creative problem solving, facilitates teamwork, and promotes focus.
Our Brains Have a Hard Time Handling Clutter
Our brains are wired to desire order. The presence of clutter is a constant visual reminder of the disorganization that surrounds us. When presented with too many competing stimuli, our minds are thrown into overdrive, trying to process each piece of information at the same time. As such, our brains have to work harder to create order among the chaos, eventually depleting our cognitive resources and reducing the ability to focus on what’s important.
Similarly, when clutter is present in our visual fields, our brains have a more difficult time processing the overabundance of information and store less of it as memory. So, when employees are exposed to clutter while working on a project, they may be less inclined to remember details, process outcomes, or get the work done on time.
Decluttering the Workplace
Employees who face clutter are more likely to be stressed, distracted, and socially isolated from their peers. If clutter is a problem in your workplace, these five tips for mindful organization at the office can help you minimize mess and maximize focus.
1. Get Everyone Involved
Make sure everyone understands the implications of clutter, and then motivate them to reduce it. Start by working as a team, taking inventory of what you have, and agreeing on what should stay and what should be thrown out or donated. Let employees take the lead on project-specific supplies related to their job responsibilities before turning them loose on their own desks and workspaces.
2. Declutter Your Desks Regularly
Encourage your team to declutter their spaces regularly. Consider creating a scheduled time for them to do a once-over on their desks and in their offices each week. Remind them to file away any mail, bills, or paperwork that hasn’t been addressed. Depending on the workflow, you might consider introducing an “on-deck” folder to organize all upcoming tasks and projects. As a bonus, you’ll have an easier time tossing items you no longer need if you’re dealing with them right away.
3. Clear Email Inboxes Regularly
An overstuffed email inbox can cause a lot of stress, and if our unread emails continue to pile up, the anxiety will, too. In fact, 92% of employees show elevated blood pressure when handling emails at work. With that in mind, it’s important to prioritize a clean and empty inbox every day when possible. Doing so will reduce the chances that emails go unread, clients are forgotten, and projects fall by the wayside.
4. Be Mindful of Schedules
Employees who feel overworked are far less likely to perform at their best. As mental clutter builds up in the form of crushing deadlines and endless meetings, workers lose the ability to focus. With less focus, they’re less likely to complete work on time, setting them back on future projects, and ultimately creating more clutter. That said, it’s important to ensure that employees are pacing out their teams and tasks, allowing for enough time before and after scheduled events to prepare and review.
5. Don’t Forget the Mental Clutter
It’s important to recognize that clutter isn’t limited to unread emails or stacks of papers piling up–it can build up as a result of repetitive tasks, lack of focus, and general disorganization. If you or your employees feel mentally drained by the minutia of work-life, it's probably time to explore mindfulness. Being fully present and aware of yourself, your environment, and the current moment allows people to take inventory of their emotions.
This act of self-care can help clear out the mental clutter and encourage employees to seek help when they need it. Ultimately, a mindful workforce improves the health and wellness of the entire organization.
Learn More About Mindfulness
Put simply, clutter is stressful. But if we’re mindful about work environments, from our conference rooms to our home offices, we can work better and even improve job satisfaction. For those looking to keep employees focused and motivated, reducing clutter is essential.
But there is more to mindfulness than simply decluttering our surroundings. If you’re ready to learn more about fostering a mindful workforce and healthy company culture, contact Mindfulness Strategies today. If you’re looking for more resources, we also have a robust set of resources on our blog page.