Blogging about spring cleaning and yard work made me think of something else that is a growing problem that we see on worksites and offices – clutter. This is something that sneaks up on us overtime. We always start off in our new offices with a clean slate and good intentions. But like our garages, our hoarding habits turn our workspaces into hazard zones. As paperwork, cds and scrap paper with notes creep across our desks like vines, we lose more than our sanity. We become cramped and items that need to be accessed easily are pushed out of arms reach.
Other than mental stress, how else does this affect us physically? First of all, let’s look at personal items. What people don’t realize is as much as it is nice to have personal items close to us such as photos of family, a favourite plant, our lucky hockey puck that we caught at last season’s playoffs, these tend to take precedence over our message pad, document holder and phone. What ends up happening is excessive reaching, causing pain and discomfort in the upper limbs.
Next up is piles of research papers, storage media (CDs and DVDs), reference books and file folders. Are they scattered all over your desk? Are there piles of CDs and software next to your monitor or in front of your phone? It may seem like a daunting task but organizing these items will again prevent excessive reaching to access your phone or message pad. If you need to access files for a project you’re working on, get a small folder file for your desk. This will create more room.
Finally, take a look under your desk. Do you have empty (or full) toner boxes at your feet? Perhaps you have a few banker boxes full of files that need to be in a filing cabinet. Many people tuck away storage boxes or empty boxes that need to be tossed in the recycling bin under their desk. This causes limited leg room. With too many items crowding your feet under your desk, you end up sitting in awkward postures – maybe sitting with your legs crossed to the side because you can’t stretch your legs in front of you.
For those of you who have a hard time “letting go of stuff”, I might recommend and article in the January/February 2009 edition of Psychology Today, Smothered in Stuff: Cure the Urge to Hoard.