Not all of us have the luxury of having a big and spacious home office. Most of the time, we clear out space on the kitchen counter or the dining table and work from there. But we all know that in order to be productive or to increase productivity, home office workers need a dedicated space. It could be as small scale as a desk or a small table specifically used for work only, or it could be a spare room with all the nice home office trimmings.

Our environment matters. Whether we notice it or not, our surroundings pretty much affect us subconsciously. So…look around. Do you see clutter? Better clear it up right away as it affects productivity.

There are days when you just can’t get your creative juices flowing and you have to force yourself into some kind of productive flow. Wouldn’t it make more sense to get rid of things that disrupt your flow? Used papers, empty coffee cups, and leftover take out boxes all contribute to “visual noise.” They compete for your attention resulting to decreased performance and increased stress. Clutter overloads your senses and affects creativity. Get rid of them now!

Make it easier to win and harder to fail.

Sometimes, it’s not just physical clutter that competes for your attention. Have you ever experienced having too many tabs open on a double monitor set-up while each one of your friends is sending you a message over some messaging app, all while you’re trying to listen to dance music? I already feel tired just by imagining it.

The simplest solutions are sometimes the best solutions. Close down all the tabs that have nothing to do with your task. Turn off your phone and put it in a drawer or in your purse. Put on some ambient sounds or coffee shop music. Better yet, put on noise cancelling headphones to help you regain focus.

Make it easier for yourself to regain your focus back by staying away from notorious productivity killers like clutter, social media, and noise.

Hard limits.

You have to apply hard limits and restraints on yourself. Vow to get rid of one source of clutter until you’ve pared your workspace down to just the essentials. Corral all those papers into boxes or files. Take all those pens and place them inside a cute coffee mug or a professional looking pen holder. Actually eat your take out in the kitchen and not on your workdesk. Close all your Twitter and Facebook tabs (unless you’re a social media manager, then close just your personal accounts).

Get the time.

Set aside time per month to review your space and your space layout. Do you need to transfer to a quieter work station? Do you need a bigger workspace? Can you add anything that will make you work more efficiently? Pick a day to clean, sort, and discard all productivity killers from your workspace. It’s better if you can set up a daily cleanse routine, that way you can start with a clean workspace everyday and not wait a month until a pile of clutter has accumulated to start cleaning your workspace.

To get back to the productivity groove, be sure to start with purpose and less “noise”. Clearing clutter is being mindful. Be mindful of your surroundings and watch your productivity flow. Do you have any decluttering tips? Share them with us in the comments! We would love to hear from you. As always, remember to: Stay Humble, Hustle Hard. Good luck!

Written by Jaie O.- The Help