Your physical space shapes your mental state. This is true for your home, car, office—any physical space you occupy. Your environment has profound effects on your physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. It can be challenging to be strategic, thoughtful, or creative when all you see around you are the laundry list of things you need to do. When you enter a space intent on action, if that space isn’t prime for your activity, it can derail you before you’ve even begun.
Focus on subtle, manageable changes you can make to create a space that supports you and your goals. These workspace organization tips target 5 areas that can have the largest impact on how you feel in your surroundings:
💡 Light
Consider the lighting in your space. Is it too bright, too dark, flickering, or humming? If it’s any of these extremes it may contribute to distraction and lost focus. A simple change of a light bulb from a bright white to a soft white can calm you. Or from an overhead light that can lead to eye strain and migraine, to a floor lamp. If you’re in an office, there are often dimming features accessible from the switch or an app.
Quick fixes:
- Change one bulb from bright white to soft white for a calmer atmosphere
- Switch from overhead lighting to a floor lamp to reduce eye strain
- Use dimming features available through wall switches or building apps
🔊 Sound
The noise pollution that exists in your environment can make it hard to get in the zone or feel relaxed. Sit quietly in your space and assess what you hear. Traffic, construction, a playground, office conversation? Do any of these sounds disrupt your concentration?
Sound is a tough factor since we don’t have control over the unexpected noises around us and of others, but we can control some of the noise pollution. If you have a light that hums all the time that irks you, it’s time to change it. If having your door open lets all of the foot traffic and hall conversations in to disrupt your focus time, then close your door during those times. Or consider noise cancelling audio devices – headphones or earbuds. Music can be particularly effective—this could be white noise, pink noise, high frequency music or your favorite soundtrack/album. Tapping into that sense and choosing something that settles you or invigorates you can be note-perfect.
Immediate actions:
- Replace humming light fixtures that create constant distraction
- Close your door during peak noise times
- Use noise-cancelling headphones or earbuds
- Try white noise, pink noise, or instrumental music as a productivity soundtrack
📦 Clutter
It’s so much easier to keep something tidy and orderly than to start from scratch. Often the idea of touching all of your stuff whether it’s at home, in your car, or your office can be daunting. The feeling of pre-overwhelm can stop you from even starting. This becomes especially challenging when thinking in terms of all or nothing. I must clean this space completely today or not at all. This often isn’t feasible—either for the amount of time that would take, your energy level, or your schedule. You set yourself up to be disappointed when you do all or nothing. Even when you’re finished you are so depleted you start telling yourself you’ll never keep it up, or you’re too tired to even work now, or you abandon the effort before you finish and shame yourself in the midst of your mess.
All-or-nothing thinking creates unnecessary pressure. A better option is to start small and chip away at your space little by little. Pick a pile of files or papers that you aren’t sure what the heck it contains. Empty a single drawer and throw out the ketchup packets, broken pens, and other forgotten items. When you take smaller steps that are more manageable and realistic something really cool happens—you feel satisfaction and pride. It can make you feel more confident in staying on the path to creating a space where maybe everything isn’t in its place but it’s in a place that works for you and lets you realize your full potential.
Start small:
- Pick one pile of papers and sort through it
- Empty a single drawer and discard broken items
- Take manageable steps that build confidence and momentum
- Consider giving yourself permission to maintain one messy spot (such as a junk drawer) for items to review later—just don’t forget to check on it
🌱 Nature
Connecting to natural elements helps with grounding and centering yourself. Whether that’s a water feature, a plant (or an entire collection), flowers, sand, a terrarium, or succulents, natural elements create a peaceful backdrop for focused work. Nature sounds work here too—flowing water, wind, birds—offering a calming soundtrack while you create, reflect, or focus.
Simple additions:
- Add a water feature for soothing sounds
- Incorporate plants, flowers, or succulents
- Try a small terrarium or sand garden
- Play nature sounds like flowing water, wind, or birds
⚡ Flow
Similar to the kitchen work triangle, where you put your fridge, stove, and sink can make cooking an efficient adventure or a frustrating nightmare. The same is true for your workspace. When you sit down, is everything placed in a way that makes your life easier? Is your phone in the spot that makes it easier to grab, is your monitor at the height that is easy for you to see, work, or have effective virtual meetings? Is the direction of your desk and chair optimal? Do you have a graveyard of trash cans, recycle bins, cords, and forgotten items under your desk that you have to maneuver through every time you sit down? Do you have all of the items you need within arms reach or are you constantly having to stop what you’re doing to retrieve something that should be accessible?
Optimize your setup:
- Position your phone within easy reach
- Adjust monitor height for comfortable viewing and virtual meetings
- Orient your desk and chair for optimal workflow
- Clear the area under your desk of obstacles
- Keep essential items within arm’s reach to avoid constant interruptions
Start Here
You don’t have to figure this all out in one go. Remember all or nothing sets you up for failure. Pick one place to start and take little steps towards creating a space for yourself.
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