Ask any highly organized person which needs must be met to get work done, and they’ll invariably say, “I need a tidy space.” Keeping a neat and clean physical work space is important to helping us focus on working productively. Our environment influences our behavior, mood, and state of mind, and research on personal productivity shows that being in a good mood boosts our ability to complete tasks with greater accuracy and not to give up quickly on difficult tasks. So if you want to feel ready to tackle the day, start with a neat desk.
Now that more people are working from home than ever before, it’s even more necessary to keep your home workspace functional. The good news is that it doesn’t take much in terms of money or effort to neaten your workspace. Most of the suggestions below are either low-cost or free if you have a few items to reuse or upcycle. You don’t have to spend money on fancy organizers or a new desk. If you have rubber bands from the last bunch of broccoli you bought, a shoe box that’s in fair shape, and other household items, you can make your workspace a little bit tidier. Anything you might need to buy can be easily found online, at an office supply store, or at a hardware store for a couple of bucks.
