6 Life Hack Gadgets to Declutter and Organize Your Workspace
Most professionals have some sort of clutter in their lives. Whether it’s a crowded workstation, overstuffed closet, or a messy attic, we all have things that could use some organization or tidy up at the very least.
However, when it comes to the workplace, any form of clutter can impact your overall productivity. Therefore, taking the time to get your things organized can save valuable time which you can use to get more done or spend less time at work.
Fortunately, we live in a world filled with different tools, gadgets, and digital solutions designed to help us with our daily tasks and activities. With productivity enhancement gaining more attention among businesses and individuals in the post-pandemic age, there’s been an influx of life hack gadgets designed to help declutter and organize workplaces.
In this post, we’ll talk about how decluttering affects productivity and share our top picks of gadgets you can use to organize your space effectively.
How Decluttering Affects Productivity
Your workstation is your command center. Therefore, you want it to have everything you need to get things done. However, what you don’t want are things you don’t need getting in the way or causing a visual distraction and interfering with your concentration and productivity.
Whether you’re working from an office or remotely, a clean and tidy workspace is essential for maintaining hygiene and maximizing focus. According to Psychology Today, clutter in the form of paper mountains, twisted equipment wiring, food litter, open drawers, etc. can result in many negative effects, such as:
- A cognitive overload
- Reduced information retention and recall
- Distraction
- Anger and frustration
- Physical disturbance
- Elevated stress levels
- Procrastination due to several competing agendas
- Judgment impairment
- Impulsive decision-making
- Feelings of guilt and annoyance, etc.
Benefits of a Decluttered and Organized Workspace
Decluttering can help reduce or prevent the negative effects mentioned above and offer a host of other benefits as well:
1. Better Impressions
Your workspace can tell a lot about you. A cluttered workspace shows that you’re organized, stressed, or ignorant. Depending upon your appearance, it could also suggest that you care little for proper hygiene. Similarly, a clean and Decluttered workspace shows that you’re more organized, committed, and reliable. As a result, it can build a better impression with clients, managers, or your boss.
2. More Comfort
A Decluttered workspace with piles of documents, stationary laying around, and unnecessary equipment often appear smaller than it is, especially when you can’t find space to put other things even though you should.
As a result, your workstation starts feeling uncomfortable. You feel trapped and often leave your space to breathe, which affects your productivity. Thus, a clean space offers more room for important documents and equipment. More importantly, it makes your environment more comfortable.
3. A Sense of Accomplishment
In 2014, Admiral William H. McRaven of the US Navy was invited to the University of Texas to address graduates on their commencement day. He said, “If you want to change the world, start by making your bed.” He later explained that by doing so, you will have accomplished the first task of the day and this will encourage you to get more things done.
When things are slow at work, we often feel as if we’re not doing enough to reach our goals. By decluttering your workspace before or after your day, you can feel good knowing you made a small accomplishment. It may not help you meet your career goals. However, the next time you get to work, you’d have a clean workstation to get started with your day.
4. Improved Immunity
Leaving your workspace cluttered for a long time with little or no cleaning could lead to germ buildup and make you or others sick. Many studies show that an unclean workstation can weaken your immune system. Therefore, cleaning and sanitizing your desk, equipment, and files can minimize your exposure to illnesses.
5. Better Sleep
According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, decluttering your workspace could help you sleep better. Many people have trouble falling asleep after a tough day at work. Taking the time to clean and organize your workspace every day before clocking out can put your mind at relative ease so you have everything in place for the next day.
6 Gadgets to Organize Your Space and Improve Productivity
1. Under Desk Computer Storage
An under-desk PC storage is a special fitting you can attach under your desk for storing desktop, tower, or mini PCs. Using this gadget, you can clear your desk and create more space for files, other peripherals (printer, scanner, phone, etc.), or stationary. At the same time, you can elevate your tower PC instead of keeping it under your desk to make more leg room. This fitting also comes with a breathable mesh sling that maximizes cooling while keeping your cables tidy.
2. Metal Mesh Desk Organizer
If your work requires the use of many stationery items for task completion, then a metal mesh desk organizer, such as the Callas Black LD, will serve you well. You can use this to organize all your large and small stationery items in one place while maximizing visibility and accessibility at all times. Popular items to keep inside include pens, pencils, markers, staplers, pins, etc.
Metal Mesh Wall-Mounted & Hanging File Rack
Some people don’t mind having stationery or IT equipment on their desks. However, having multiple stacks of documents and files in front of them could affect their productivity. This is where a metal mesh wall-mounted/hanging file rack comes in to keep important files and documents near you but away from your workstation.
Ideally, you should hang this rack on an adjacent wall for easy access and make sure it’s at a suitable height. Wall organizers also make a valuable addition to your home or office décor by making your station look more sophisticated and organized.
3. A Universal Docking Station
A universal docking station is one of the best life hack gadgets you can use to declutter and organize your workplace, especially if you use the same laptop for work at home and in the office. The purpose of this dock is to simplify connection and disconnection. Instead of having several cables laying around your desk, you can use the dock to feed them all into a single hub.
4. Wireless Phone Charger
Most conventional chargers come with a wire that often gets in the way if you charge your phone at work. In many cases, you need to use your phone so you can’t afford to run out of juice. This is where a wireless charger comes in to solve both problems by keeping your phone running and eliminating the need for pesky cables.
So, as long as you have a wireless-charging-enabled phone, all you need is a flat surface to let the charger do its thing. For this purpose, we highly recommend the Elago MS5 Duo Charging Stand with MagSafe. This amazing gadget charges phones and smartwatches while keeping them at a viewable angle so you can see notifications or answer calls right away.
5. Under-Desk Cable Tray
Entangled cables are among the biggest causes of cluttered workstations. Many professionals try to be clever by pushing cables behind or under their desks to hide the mess. However, this can be dangerous for your equipment.
Therefore, we recommend using an under-desk cable tray to organize all your important cables and make them accessible at all times.
6. Monitor Arm
A dynamic monitor arm is one of the most popular innovations in the business technology market. The key purpose of this gadget is to hold and elevate your monitor so you don’t have to keep it on your desk. This way, you can use the space to keep other important things, such as books, files, peripherals, or important documents.
Many monitor arms can hold multiple screens. So, if you have a limited workspace but want to maximize your display content, this device comes with integrated cables for instant connectivity. Depending on the model, you can also mount laptops or tablets.
Wrapping Up
To summarize, decluttering and organizing your workplace is a great way to improve your productivity. You can ensure nothing gets in your way while working or affects your concentration. While there are hundreds of other life hack gadgets you can use, the options in our list are easily available in the market and are quite easy to install and use.
You can use them to organize your workstation according to your preferences while keeping everything you need in one place.
