Why Your Workspace Matters to your Productivity
Sometimes, keeping a neat desk is the only productivity hack you need
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before — a cluttered desk reveals a cluttered mind. Familiar? I’ve heard (and read) it at least, a hundred times in the last two weeks alone. The reason why it gets repeated so much is because of its accuracy.
For years, my mum and I had a routine where she’d walk into my room on the weekends and remark, “This place is so messy”, to which I’d respond, “Yeah, but I know where everything is. So it’s fine.”
Problem was, it wasn’t fine. I usually spent several minutes looking for documents or books. Even if you have a better filing system than I did, the point is, you shouldn’t have to. That mental energy exerted every time you manage the clutter is unnecessary use of your brain power. A normal (sane), logical filing system frees up your brain to handle other more important tasks.
The fact is, paying attention to the physical space where you work has direct effects on your performance.
Here are a few other reasons why:
Form follows function: A work space should be designed to help the user fulfil one primary objective — get work done. If yours isn’t helping you do this with mechanical efficiency, you’re operating below maximum productivity. Your workspace should work for you, not actively against you. For example, if collaboration between colleagues is key and you have a setup with closed cubicles, that’s a problematic workspace. If you find your team has to stand during morning briefings (because you lack sitting space), that’s another problem. You get the idea.
Inspiration via Aesthetics: the environment around the workspace is as important as the space itself. No one knows the importance of this as much as creative types. Songwriters, actors, authors, musicians, fashion and graphic designers, etc. they painstakingly pick out their workspaces. Features such as wallpaper colour, lighting, ambience and furniture all come under scrutiny. Some even go as far as paying attention to the cleanness of the air, ventilation, room temperature, the decor, the altitude (yeah, creative people can be so intense).
Here’s a project by Kylie Cassidy showcasing her favorite authors’ workspaces. They are as diverse as they come.
But not only creative types benefit from a customised workspace. A well designed space can help when stuck for ideas. Imagine swiveling away from your desk to face the window behind you that opens up to a view of the city skyline (lucky devil). That should jump start the idea bank.
There’s no “size fits all” approach to building the perfect work space.
Personal Brand Management: Customers are the livelihood of business, so the need to make solid first (and consecutive) impressions is high. Projecting a positive image to your customers is your first and sometimes most important deliverable. This is why more thought should go into your workspace.
A cluttered work space gives the wrong impression to others that you are tardy and not in control of your life. Believe it or not, we all believe that line I dropped earlier — a cluttered desk is a cluttered mind. The style, form and function of your space, all contribute to your image.
Despite being quite competent at their job, some people are natural slobs. Those people should never attempt to host clients in their personal workspace. A coworking space would do fine as a meeting spot. In fact, a coworking space is an ideal meeting spot to meet clients if you’re trying to make a good impression on a budget.
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