The Productivity Secret Hiding in Plain Sight

In our fast-paced world, productivity is key. But what if I told you that one of the simplest ways to enhance your efficiency is right under your nose - or rather, all around your desk?

Let's face it: clutter happens. Whether you're working from a corner office or a makeshift desk in your living room, accumulating mess is almost inevitable. However, taking just two minutes at the end of each day to tidy up your workspace can have a surprisingly significant impact on your productivity.

Here's the deal: A clean, organized workspace isn't just pleasing to the eye - it's a boon for your brain. When you return to a tidy desk in the morning, you're likely to notice an immediate difference in how you feel and your ability to focus. It's like giving yourself a fresh start every day, minus the hassle of completely overhauling your life.

Now, I know what some of you might be thinking. "But I work best in organized chaos!" While that may feel true, research suggests otherwise. A cluttered environment can compete for your attention, making it harder to concentrate on the task at hand. By contrast, a clean space can help reduce stress and improve your cognitive function.

The beauty of this productivity hack lies in its simplicity. We're not talking about a major time investment here - just 2 minutes of your day. That's less time than it takes to brew a cup of coffee or scroll through your social media feed.

So, here's your challenge: For the next week, commit to spending just two minutes at the end of each workday tidying up your space (both your physical space and your digital one). Clear off those stray papers, put away your supplies, and give your desk a quick wipe-down. Close those browser tabs you don't need anymore and close the documents you finished this morning. Then, pay attention to how you feel when you sit down to work the next morning.

You might be surprised at the difference a clean workspace can make. Not only could you see an uptick in your productivity, but you might also experience reduced stress and improved focus. And who knows? You might even start to enjoy this little end-of-day ritual!

Before we end, let me add one lost note. It doesn't have to be perfect. We're not looking for crazy cleanliness and organization (unless that's your thing, of course). In fact, a study in Psychological Science (Vohs et al., 2013) found that while clean environments promote conventional thinking and efficiency, slightly messy spaces can sometimes boost creativity. It's all about balance. So in these 2 minutes each day, don't aim for a perfectly clean and organized space. Shoot for a little cleaner and little more organized than you normally are. A little adjustment can go a long way.

Remember, in the quest for productivity, sometimes the smallest changes can yield the biggest results. So why not give your workspace - and your productivity - the refresh it deserves?

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Vohs, K. et al. (2013). Physical Order Produces Healthy Choices, Generosity, and Conventionality, Whereas Disorder Produces Creativity. Psychological Science.

Comments

[Andrey Rusev]

Close those browser tabs you don't need anymore...

Everything I ever opened is still open somewhere :) Haha :)

But cool advice, I'll give it a try! :)

[Jake Lundberg]

hahaha something tells me you’re not alone there! 🤣

something that helped me in that regard was moving over to the Arc browser which cleans up tabs for you automatically. Unfortunately the company is no long developing it, so I’m on the lookout for a new browser that can do some of the same stuff…but this is something you could look for to help!

[Andrey Rusev]

Haha, I do feel kinda proud for contributing to browser innovation, hard to give up on that :)

I'm pretty sure browser developers know about people like me, and that having hundreds of open tabs ruins the performance and user experience of their product...

But I am still tempted, just a couple of recent examples that I have 'contributed' to:

• some months ago browsers started showing a prompt when you are opening an URL that's already open - Would you like to continue your browsing in that tab you already have opened?

To me - it sounds a bit passive - aggressive, so... it didn't work... :)

• Then, quite recently (and after another update) - I got a message that they've moved my inactive tabs toooo... I don't know, some other place - it had a name but I didn't remember it... :)

Anyway, it's getting a bit like us vs. them, will see :)

On a more serious note - some time ago I started using pocket (It is made by Mozilla... another browser haha :)