The Benefits of Staying Organized

Simplicity is an important feature of modern design. While reducing excess decorations and frills and keeping your home and workspace organized makes things look clean and neat, the benefits of being organized go far beyond aesthetics. There’s research that suggests that organized people live healthier and more productive lives than people who are less organized.

Boost Your Productivity

You know that multitasking, loud coworkers and other normal parts of your day are having a negative effect on your productivity, but you probably don’t realize that poor organization is also hampering your ability to get things done quickly and efficiently.

Excessive clutter competes with your work for your attention. The fewer things you have around your desk to look at, the better. Start with clearing your desk of knickknacks, papers and anything else that isn’t directly related to the project you’re working on right now. Digital clutter can also distract you and disrupt your focus: close unnecessary tabs, quit programs you’re not using and — if you can — mute your email and IM notifications.

Reboot Your Diet

You might not associate disorganization with a poor diet, but eating nutritiously takes a lot of planning and preparation. If your day is chaotic, it’s a lot easier to stop by the nearest fast-food restaurant than spend time preparing a meal.

Planning your meals ahead of time will help you control your portions, ensure that you’re eating from each food group and you’re getting the nutrition your body needs. As an added benefit, when you’re organizing your meals and getting proper nourishment, you’ll feel better and have more energy.

Reduce Your Stress Level

Disorganization can cause you to be late for meetings at work, forget important dates with your family and friends and cause people at work and at home to think of you as undependable. All of this can be very stressful on you. Over time, your stress can become chronic and lead to headaches, sleep loss, weight gain and other maladies.

Whether you’re making notes in a planner, putting everything in your calendar app on your smartphone or something else, find an organizational tool that works for you and keeps you on top of things.

Simplicity isn’t just an aesthetically pleasing aspect of modern design — it’s an important part of living a less stressful and more organized life. It only takes small steps to boost your productivity at work and live a happier, healthier life.