Spring Cleaning

Time to open those windows, shake out the rug and put yourself in reset mode. Clear the clutter from your bookshelf, throw the junk off your desk and organize your living space (INCLUDING your car and office area); you may be improving a lot more than just the aesthetics of it all.

Researchers at Princeton University have published their findings concerning the health and cognitive benefits of leading an uncluttered life. In a nutshell, the more activity there is in your field of vision, the less cognitive energy you have to devote on the project in front of you, also requiring your concentration. The disorder in any environment demanding your attention will deplete you of the ability to focus, more so than one where things are neatly placed and tidy. Having to continuously suppress the urge to visually attend to the clutter happening around you (because you know your current task is more important), uses up A LOT of your mental resources, whether you realize it or not.

Even brain imaging using fMRIs were able to confirm these findings. There was a very strong correlation between a clean and organized room and the ability to effectively process information, making you less irritable as well as less distracted. I am currently sitting on a bed, piled high with clothes, textbooks, novels, and earphones. Empty water bottles are scattered across the desk and my coat is lying on the floor. Needless to say, this post may have wound up being written a lot quicker and more efficiently if my room had been a bit neater. This is potentially why I (and probably others) prefer a library or coffee shop to my room, as a study area. I always figured it was the noise or tempting distractions like my bed or the TV that steered me away from this environment but this suggestion makes a lot of sense.

Make sure your room is clear of clutter just in time for finals this month! Make good use of that procrastination time that you’ll be spending away from your studying anyway! At least when the time does come to buckle down and dig into your books, you’ll be doing it with a clear room and a clear mind.

McMains, S. and Kastner S. (2011). Interactions of top-down and bottom-up mechanisms in human visual cortex. Journal of Neuroscience. 31(2): 587–97. DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3766–10.2011.

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