Relax, I’m not going to suggest you get rid of that coffee cup. If I did, most of you would stop reading. Our work spaces are expressions of ourselves and “the desk” is usually the focal point. There are many types of desks. There is the very commonly recognized L-shaped desk usually made of steel, you know, the one you bang your knee on at least once a day. There is also the stately”executive”desk; the one that requires a small army of people to get it into the office building. Then, there is the desk that you won’t bother decorating much because there is no room to do so (aka: the cubicle desk).
Regardless of the type, more importantly is what you do with the desk. Some take great care in keeping their space organized. It’s really quite impressive to me when someone has organizational gadgets on their desk that I didn’t know existed. Coworkers might even presumptuously ask if you have anything to do because your desk is so spotless. Does a cleaner desk automatically mean less stress? Not necessarily but it helps.
What about others who have everything but the kitchen sink on their desks? Come on, you know who you are! Are these people more stressed? Perhaps, although, they often swear they know exactly where everything is and could not function any other way.
Finally there are the folks that fall somewhere between the spotless and kitchen-sink people. It’s probably safe to say that many of us fall into this bucket. So why would our desks have such an impact on our stress levels? The same reason we feel a sense of immediate calm when we see a picture of the ocean, better yet, see the ocean in person. What we see affects our mood. If what we see is pleasant, generally our mood will be more positive. So why wouldn’t we encourage the same at work?
My clients have found improvement in their stress levels when removing the following items from their work desks:
- Lengthy To-Do Lists – Lists are great for prioritizing and time management. A problem occurs when we put too much on them. Nothing starts our day with more pressure and stress than looking at a list of 20+ tasks or projects. Yes, you have to do those things eventually but, will you do them all today? Probably not. Plus, at the end of the day, you see everything you didn’t do. Mood buster! Try daily lists with no more than three items (keep the “master” list somewhere else). It feels better to see that we accomplished two out of three items instead of two out of twenty.
- Unnecessary Clutter – Sorry kitchen-sink-people but clutter mimics chaos in our brains and elevates cortisol (the stress hormone). There is simply too much to focus on. This does not mean your goal is to have a spotless desk. Decluttering means removing things you don’t need to make a space more pleasant and useful. If decluttering is hard for you, try taking small steps like removing one to two items at a time.
- Your Cell Phone – Breathe. Before you write me off, hear me out. Cell phones are great and extremely useful but they can also create a lot of distraction for many people and ultimately stress. Periodic removal of your cell phone can improve focus, increase productivity, and sharpen listening skills. Have you ever forgotten your phone and didn’t have time to go back and get it? Yes there is an inconvenience factor but it probably forced you to focus on something else. A good rule of thumb: pick times during the day when you will put your phone away such as 9am-12pm and 2pm-4pm. If that sounds like too aggressive of a strategy, maybe start with one hour at a time or pick smaller blocks of time that work for you.
Finding ways to reduce stress makes life more manageable. Maybe you thought of other items to remove from your desk as you were reading this article. Go for it! Remember, the removal can be temporary, periodic, or permanent. It’s up to you. The goal is to create a working environment that stimulates positive feelings and your desk is a good place to start.
By the way, I actually worked with a person who had a large box on his desk for weeks. What was in it?
A kitchen sink.
Thelma Franco