No matter what profession you’re in, a messy room is not something that you want to be a part of your life. If you want to gain more control of things, be less stressed out and be more successful, it’s important to be organized and to clean your space on a daily basis.
A messy room has the tendency to affect your anxiety levels, ability to focus, productivity and sleep. Meanwhile, a study shows that people with organized desks tend to be driven to do more good deeds and have more skills to offer employers.
Although everyone has different working styles, it’s important to keep your room clean, especially now that a majority of people have moved to a remote work setup.
According to the office movers, some of the benefits of having a well-organized workspace include:
- Improvement on mental stability
- Increase in productivity and focus
- Reduced stress
- Better sleep
- Better food choices
An unorganized workspace is also home to bacteria and viruses. Cold and flu viruses can stay on surfaces for up to 24 hours, so it only makes sense that those with a cleaner room are less likely to get sick.
If you’re an employee working remotely, a business owner, or someone who plans to start a business, here are some helpful tips to organize your messy room and position yourself for success.
How to Organize a Messy Room
When it comes to keeping organized and cleaning up, there are some important steps that should be followed.
Below are some pointers that could guide you as you start bringing order into your workspace.
You’ll find tips from where to start when cleaning a messy room up to how you can maintain the cleanliness of your work environment.
Sort out items into accordingly categories
The first order of business is to purge every item in the room. Clear your cabinets, drawers, tables and bookshelf. Then sort them out according to categories like office supplies, leisure, etc.
It will be helpful to create a pile of trash and one of the things you do not need anymore, as well as a container for anything that will be donated or given away.
Separate the items into different boxes.
Throw out items that are no longer needed
Once the mess has been sorted out, place any donations or trashed items into their respective boxes. If there is still room in your trash box, place the remaining trash into bags, then put them into the bin for pickup.
Re-organize
For the things you need to keep, find a place for them where they would be visible and accessible. Think of where each item goes at first then put it there once you have found a place for it.
Use colors and labels to organize your stuff. Take the time to label your folders, drawers, bins, and shelves. This will help you quickly know which item goes where and will reduce the risk of losing important files.
Research shows that an average person spends about 6.5 months of their life looking for lost items. That’s 5,000 hours you’ll never get back. Save yourself some time and start labeling your items.
Vacuum and mop the floor
Now it’s time to clean the floor. First use the vacuum to get rid of all of the big stuff like loose dirt, candy wrappers, cereal crumbs, etc. Then take your dustpan or small broom and sweep up anything that didn’t make it into the vacuum.
After getting rid of the dust and trash, you can proceed with mopping your floor. You can use bleach if you’re mopping marbled surfaces, but if you’re mopping hardwood floors, then stick to the regular detergent as bleach could damage the varnish.
Organize your laptop or desktop
Your computer is similar to your room or workspace in the sense that it affects the output of your work. Organize your files by deleting folders, software, videos, or photos that have no purpose.
Create different folders to organize your work and use your calendar to organize your schedule and stay productive.
Decorate
You now have a clean room. Without the clutter, you can see how much space you actually have to decorate. It’s time to go shopping for new decorations. Go buy some pictures (maybe hunting prints if you like your room to feel warm and masculine or flower prints if you like it to feel bright and feminine), then buy some plants or flowers, depending on your style.
There are many different styles out there to fit any decorating taste. Remember that what matters most is how the room feels when you walk in. You’ll be surprised at how much better you feel with a brand new room.
What Does a Messy Room Mean?
Your room says something about your personality. For example, those who work in a clean environment are believed to be more inclined to do good things, while those who are messy are often thought to be disorganized.
This isn’t always the case though because studies show that some people tend to come up with more creative ideas by working in a messy room.
But in general, a messy workspace can be a sign of many things and could be an indication of an underlying issue.
The first possible problem with a messy workspace is that it could mean the person is unable to focus. This would definitely be an issue because they’re unable to stay on task long enough to complete their work. Without being able to concentrate, this could lead them down the path of never getting anything accomplished.
Another problem that a messy workspace could signify is that the person is disorganized. This would most likely result in them always losing things, which would also prohibit them from completing their work.
Laziness is another factor. If everything looks messy and unkept, then the person might not want to work. This would mean that they are fine with letting their life waste away instead of trying to make something of themselves.
Depression is also an issue that could be the root of a messy room. If someone feels like nothing they do matters, then there is no reason for them to put an effort into their surroundings. In this case, the person would probably be feeling depressed about something else in their life and using this as a way to cope with it.
When someone’s workspace is disorganized, this can actually affect the way their mind works. Organized spaces let people think more clearly and accomplish their tasks more effectively. This can have a significant impact on someone’s life because they will be able to get things done in a timely manner, which would mean getting good performance reviews at work.
There are many reasons why a messy workspace could be an issue. On the other hand, cleaning up a messy room is one solution if the person feels too unfocused to work. A clean room will help the mind feel refreshed and relaxed.
Why is Clutter Bad for Your Mental Health?
Being disorganized and working in a cluttered environment have an effect on our brains and how we think. Research found that mothers with a cluttered home environment had higher levels of stress hormone cortisol compared to those who had a clutter-free environment.
Another research from The American Psychological Association says that being disorganized and working in a cluttered environment can have both negative and positive effects on our brains and how we think. Although some people who are messy tend to be creative, there are people who are negatively influenced by their messy environment.
In the study, “A Place For Everything: How Disorder Affects Long-Term Memory,” from Harvard University, researchers found that subjects had difficulty remembering items they couldn’t place or put away.
The clutter creates mental stress and makes it difficult to focus. According to a study conducted by the University of Minnesota, clutter and lack of storage space increase the level of cortisol which is linked to stress and depression.
Organizing your space, whether that’s at home or in the office can have a positive effect on your health and well-being. A study by the University of California in Los Angeles found that people who live in more spacious homes feel happier and healthier. The study also found that they tend to get better rest and exercise more.
Our brains prefer order. It only makes sense that disorganization drains our cognitive resources, reducing our ability to focus.
Keeping your office or workplace organized will not only make you feel better but also make it easier to sort things out when you need them.
It is very important to stay tidy and orderly, not only in your home life but in business life as well. The organization will save you time and it’s just more pleasant to work in a clean environment. Cleaning up your space will also give you energy and motivation for future endeavors. If you find that you want to completely change things up, then you may want to renovate your office space altogether.
No matter what kind of profession you choose, it’s important to stay neat and organized if you want to live a happy life and position yourself for success.
