Keeping on top of the cleaning is difficult enough at home, let alone in the workspace. But a cluttered desk has been proven to decrease persistence at tasks, meaning your messy desk could well be costing you money. A tidy desk or workspace can drastically improve productivity, client uptake, and even morale, as we’re about to find out – so whether you’re working from home, in an office, a workshop or a garage environment, keeping your workspace clean and tidy is crucial – and these are the reasons why.
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Safety
This is the single most important reason to keep your workspace tidy; safety is paramount to the success of your business, and anything that results in an unsafe workspace can not only slow your output but also cost you dearly in members of your workforce and costly compensation claims. If you work in a workshop environment, be sure to safely store any tools where they belong after use, and make sure to sweep regularly to avoid piercing injuries from screws or offcuts. If you’re working on a job site, modular storage solutions like the Milwaukee Packout boxes are a perfect way to keep your site clean and safe for fellow workmen and visitors alike.
Productivity
Cleaner working environments have a twofold effect on productivity in the workplace. Firstly, having a place for everything and having everything in its place makes for a more efficient workflow across the board; the less time spent searching for specific tools or items, the better. Secondly, clutter can be a distraction for many people, from desks to construction sites. De-cluttering your workspace is proven to not only increase productivity but also the quality of your work – owing to the lack of stress associated with seeing clutter.
Wellbeing
The cleanliness of a workspace also has a visceral effect on the mental well-being of workers – cluttered spaces can cause mental strife in addition to the short-term stress it creates, and can lower morale across the board. Cleaner spaces raise morale and increase the overall happiness of your workers, just as a tidy desk can spark joy in you while you work. An excellent method to de-cluttering your desk is to physically turn around every item or tool you might use in your work. When you use something, put it back the correct way around, and anything not turned back around by the end of the day is not being used enough to justify taking up space on your desk. These items can be stored away, giving you more room to work.
Professionalism An often-overlooked benefit to keeping workspaces tidy, the impression you place upon your clients is paramount to the success of your work. A cluttered desk, an untidy workshop, or a dangerous job site all send the wrong messages to people who may be paying a fair amount for your services. Tidying up, ensuring waste is properly stored, and keeping surfaces clean puts across a message to your clients that you are reliable, dependable, and well-organized, making you more likely to receive more work from them in the future and less likely to receive negative feedback on otherwise excellent results.
