How to Declutter and Organize Your Workspace

This post contains affiliate links. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Is it just me, or is it so much easier to concentrate and get work done when you have a clean, decluttered workspace? Even if I’m on track with all my work, if my workspace is cluttered, I feel so unorganized and behind. If you want to declutter and organize your workspace, you have to make a plan.

I’m not just talking about physical decluttering, digital detoxes are crucial for boosting productivity and getting in the right headspace for your day ahead. If your desktop is filled with photos and documents and your email inbox has 300 unread messages (I’m talking from experience here), it can start to make you feel a little anxious.

Not only that, having a cluttered workspace (digital or physical) can kill your concentration. If your desk is piled up with sticky notes, miscellaneous papers, mugs and notebooks, it’s harder to find things when you need them and you’ll always be thinking about when you can declutter and organize your workspace, rather than actually doing it! It’s much easier to get distracted and steer off track if you’re working in a cluttered space.

The first thing you need to do is set time aside to declutter and organize your workspace! If you don’t set aside a specific time, you’ll always hold off on it, bombarded by a million things to do. Just like you plan different projects into your day, put a time into your agenda to declutter and organize your workspace!

The first step is the digital detox!

EMAIL DECLUTTER

I’m totally guilty of having upwards of 300 email notifications in my inbox. I always open the urgent ones, but I have a bad habit of not deleting emails I get for sales or coupons or even newsletters for websites I’m subscribed to. But waking up to 350 unread emails and having that number continually grow is stressful!

One of the reasons it’s most stressful is because I know some of them are emails I really want to read! Sometimes I’ll sign up for email courses but won’t have time to go through them, or I’ll see an awesome email from one of my favourite business bloggers and not open it so I know to read it later. But sometimes later never comes and I’m stuck with email overhaul.

Set some time aside at the beginning or end of your day to do a total email declutter! Go through your inbox and delete any emails you don’t need. If you have some you want to hang on to (like me with unfinished email courses), create folders for them so you know exactly what and where they are. This will free up space in your main inbox and will eliminate the dread of unread email notifications.

DESKTOP DECLUTTER

I love when my desktop is nice and organized, but sometimes I can’t even see my desktop background because there are so many documents and photos saved on it. Especially if I’m doing updates to my blog, like creating new Pin images, my desktop gets filled with photos. And if I’m in too much of a rush to create a new folder for a project I’m working on, it gets saved to my desktop too.

In the same boat?

Create folders for EVERYTHING! If you have a blog, create a main blog folder, with a folder for each of your blog posts inside. In each of your blog post folders, create a photo folder for your photos. This is such a great way to organize everything digital in your life, and having folders inside folders allows you to clear up space on your desktop.

The second step is physical decluttering!

DESK DECLUTTER

Decluttering your desk is one of the most important things you can do to get organized, feel zen, and boost your productivity. I don’t know about you, but if my desk is cluttered, I constantly want to organize it and feel frustrated when I’m too busy to do so.

To organize your desk, make sure everything has its own spot. You can use desk organizers (I love this one), shelves, drawers and pen holders to ensure everything has a space. This is also a great way to make sure you know where everything is. Without using organizers your desk is bound to be a cluttered mess.

OFFICE DECLUTTER

Your desk isn’t the only thing that needs to be decluttered. Your office space needs to be organized and decluttered as well. If it’s not, you’ll be distracted and it will be harder to get work done.

Just like your desk, make sure there’s a space for everything in your office. Having things spewed across the floor will make you feel anxious and totally unproductive.

The final step is finding products and systems that help you declutter and organize your workspace!

USE A DAY DESIGNER

For my birthday this year, my boyfriend got me a Day Designer. Since my birthday falls at the very beginning of the year, planners of any type always make my birthday list. But this one is my favourite by far!

It’s helped me declutter because it’s an all-in-one organizer. Every day of the week has its own to-do list, and lists out each hour of the day so you can schedule your time efficiently. It also has a section for notes, dinner plans, and the day’s top three! If you have a Day Designer, you can eliminate a calendar, to-do list, sticky notes and a notepad from your workspace because it all comes as part of one pretty entity.

Did I mention they come in the most beautiful, trendy colours and patterns? Check them all out here!

As an ode to the Day Designer, I’ve created a day planner printable just for you!

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