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Jonas Salk, the inventor of the polio vaccine is the perfect example of why you should keep your space organized. When Salk initially started working on the vaccine, his laboratory was located in a cramped, poorly-lit Pennsylvania basement, according to Scientific American. After failing to make progress, Salk traveled to an open, relaxing monastery environment in Assisi, Italy. There, he developed the first successful polio vaccine.
Salk attributed his invention to the relaxing and open environment in Assisi. Later, he designed a research facility, the Salk Institute with an open aesthetic, in order to cultivate creativity. Salk’s experience highlights the importance of environment on creativity and productivity. Working in a space that is clear, open, and organized can boost mental and physical health and make work go more easily and smoothly. Here are five benefits of organizing your space.
Organizing can boost mental health
Northstar Transitions brings up the relatable phenomenon of clutter promoting stress by making people feel overwhelmed with how much needs to get done to power through a huge pile of work or encroaching clutter.
But, this isn’t just an intuitive experience. It’s backed up by scientific research. A Journal of Environmental Psychology study that study co-author Catherine Roster says demonstrates how "clutter can lower feelings of well-being, happiness, and the safety and security that a person derives from being in their personal spaces.”
A disorganized space is associated with a litany of mental health impacts including mood disorders and reduced impulse control. Psychologist and Harvard Med School instructor, Natalie Christine Dattilo, has a theory about the correlation. She tells National Geographic that, "our homes may be messy and cluttered because we feel overwhelmed and unorganized mentally."
Daniel Levitin, a behavioral neuroscientist at McGill University in Montreal adds, in a comment to National Geographic that, "clutter and disorganization can lead to chronic anxiety disorders in some people." By contrast, cleaning up one’s environment can promote mental health and, according to psychologist Neha Khorana, fight off symptoms of anxiety.
Decluttering helps with energy and focus
Keeping one’s space organized and decluttered can also boost focus and energy. Roster co-authored a study that linked exhaustion to office clutter. Joseph Ferrari, a professor of psychology at DePaul tells National Geographic that, "You'll feel less exhaustion, enhance your productivity at the office, and greatly improve the quality of your life if you can learn how to declutter and become organized."
A clean space is a productive space
Any parent who’s ever tried to rush out the door in the morning, only to hear their child complain that, “I can’t find my shoes,” understands how cleanliness and organization can be a major time saver. North Star Transitions cites the relatable experience of looking for keys or a wallet when running late to work.
Levitin explains, to National Geographic, that the time spent looking for keys, wallets, shoes, and other lost items, and the impact of missed appointments adds up over time. "Clutter and disorganization brings a loss of productivity that is difficult to quantify,” he explains. “The average person likely loses 5 percent of their time due to disorganization.Take your annual salary, multiply that by 5 percent, and you can measure what disorganization may be costing you."
Organization promotes physical health
A clean space doesn’t just promote mental health. It can also boost physical health, Libby Sanders, an assistant professor of organizational behavior at Australia’s Bond University tells National Geographic, "Those whose houses are cleaner are more active and generally have better physical health.” Her claim is backed up by a study that links healthy eating and a healthy body weight with a decluttered environment.
Clean spaces are good for relationships
Organization can impact interpersonal relationships in a variety of ways. For example, Dattilo tells National Geographic, clutter can be distracting. This can make it hard to focus on a conversation and has an effect on communication in relationships. Additionally, North Star Transitions adds that people who live in a cluttered or disorganized house may be reluctant to invite over friends or family. Disorganization can be isolating. Looking to start a decluttering project? Here are some tips for getting it off the ground.
Start small
"I advise starting small," Dattilo tells National Geographic. "It’s easy to become overwhelmed if you try to tackle an entire room or even a closet, so you can set yourself up for success by starting with a single drawer, bookshelf, or the kitchen pantry." North Star Transitions advises putting aside a manageable block of time daily, twenty to thirty minutes, to sort or put away items, or to start a deep dive into a disorganized room.
Deter digital disorganization
Organizing, Sanders tells National Geographic, also means cleaning up one’s files and email inboxes. "Unsubscribe from things you don’t read, delete emails, make a new folder and move just a few emails or documents a day," Sanders advises. "Just giving yourself five minutes a day to get organized will get a lot done over the course of a few weeks and will help build habits to stay organized."
Start with sorting
North Star Transitions advises taking an inventory of the items in the area one is organizing by putting all items in a place where they can be easily seen. This makes it easier to sort them. Julie Morgenstern from the book Organizing from the Inside Out advises sorting items into three groups: keep, toss, and relocate. She tells National Geographic that there should be a place for everything you own. Things that are useless should be discarded. And items that aren’t used on a regular basis, including seasonal and sentimental objects, can go into a long-term storage area.
"Consider off-site storage if you have items you can’t bear to part with such as archival tax records, college papers, memorabilia, and extra furniture," Morgenstern adds. "It will get the items out of the house without the trauma of permanently purging them."
Don’t forget to the enjoy the process…and the results
Cleaning doesn’t have to be a boring activity. Turn on music or an audiobook and organize to the beat. Or, Roster tells National Geographic, make it a social event by inviting helpers. "A family member, friend, or professional organizer can help if you don’t know where to begin," she says.
And, once a room is decluttered, take some time to sit in the space and enjoy the calm and cleanliness. North Star Transitions adds that, once decluttered, spaces can be decorated with art, plants, or other items that make the area fun and relaxing.
Organizing one’s area, whether work or home, whether physical or digital space, can seem overwhelming when one first starts, but the benefits more than make up for the time and energy spent decluttering. An organized space is one that is positive, productive, restorative, and social. Dattilo tells National Geographic that, "When we take care of our home in an intentional and loving way we send an important message to ourselves that we are worth the time and effort it takes."
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