Improve Focus with a Clear Desk

Improve Focus with a Clear Desk

Improve focus with a clear desk – we have talked in a number of blogs about how our environment can have a positive and negative impact on our mental and emotional wellbeing.

Cleaning and Tidying for Better Mental Health

Decluttering for Mental Health

Plant Therapy – Nature’s Impact on our Mental Health

From how messy and cluttered our home or environment is to whether we have plants or nature we can see, what is around us can impact how we feel and how productive we are. Essentially “tidy space, tidy mind.” Research suggests that a tidy workspace or environment will lead to:

  • Reduced stress
  • Improved concentration
  • Improved mood
  • Higher productivity

A messy desk or work environment can contribute to you feeling:

  • Stressed
  • Overwhelmed
  • Procrastinating
  • Distracted
  • Spending time looking for lost items or documents
  • Can project an image of being unorganized or unreliable

The extent to which a messy environment or desk effects people will vary from person to person. For some they absolutely need a clear organized desk, office or computer. For others a certain amount of organized chaos is fine and can support creativity or productivity.


How might you change your work environment to better support your mental wellbeing?

  • Consider doing a spring clean – spend some time going though your drawers and cupboards and desk itself. Get rid of what you can and organize what is left.
  • Organise the surface of your desk so that everything you need often is within easy reach, for instance, pens, stapler etc.
  • Add a plant or pictures of nature to your work area.
  • Implement a  habit or routine that at the end of each day you tidy your desk or area so that it is reset for the next day. If you work from home this could be especially helpful in creating an ending to the work day and inserting a boundary between work and home life.
  • Once a week spend a few minutes cleaning your work space or area. Wipe it down with some antibacterial spray, hoover, dust, empty the bins, water your plants. Someone I knew used to do “tidy Friday” where these tasks were done.

To take care of your environment is to take care of yourself. If you are not convinced by the idea that a tidy desk or work area will make a difference to your work or how you feel at work, why not just give it a try for a month and see whether it has an impact on you. Do you feel less overwhelmed and stressed, do you feel more organised and on top of things? If you are disciplined with this habit does it mean that you are more likely to have a proper lunch time and maybe go out for a walk, or leave work on time? Committing to one habit to improve your wellbeing often will lead to you doing more things that have a positive impact on your health.

Interesting Online Articles on a Clear Workspace

Does a Clear Space really mean a Clear Mind?

The Mental Health Benefits of a Clean Workspace

The Case for Finally Cleaning your Desk


Whatever you are struggling with sometimes there is no substitute for speaking to a professional. If you are struggling with any issue you might find it beneficial to speak to a professional. If you would like formal help and would like to make an appointment with Paul, please call Paul on 07843 813 537 or fill in the form on the Contact Page, if he doesn’t answer he is probably in a session, please leave him a message and he will call you back as soon as he can.

Paul Carter Counselling