Cleaning office mess improves our productivity

British workers have admitted they find tidying to be satisfying rather than just a chore, according to new findings by Avery UK. In fact, most people across the country would even go as far as to say it has therapeutic value, being considered a good combatant  for stressful situations.

80% of adults reckon tidying and organising is a real stress buster – whether it be filing away important documents, having a pristine desk at work or labelling files – while four in five people even said they find mess stressful. 63% don’t feel on top of things unless their items are in their ‘right place’, and can find themselves distracted by a messy desk.

Despite this, nearly three quarters of the country described themselves as messy people, and others simply don’t feel like they have enough hours in the day to worry about it.

“People feel better for clearing away the clutter, but certain barriers prevent the UK population from cracking on with it,” explained Avery UK’s Fiona Mills. “This week is National Organising Week and the perfect time to think about ways to be more organised and make sure you stay on top of mess.”

It takes the average Brit around nine days before they give in and clean their mess, with 62% admitting they wish they could be more on top of their cleanliness.

“If you’re not a person who files as they go, give yourself a small tray or folder for collating documents into but make sure you don’t go beyond that defined volume before you knuckle down and file it away where it belongs,” suggests Katherine Blackler, professional organiser, and President-Elect of the Association of Professional Declutterers & Organisers. “In an office, you and your colleagues could be wasting valuable time looking for documents or important items, so it really is worth investing the time upfront to create better ways of working together efficiently.”

Do you need a tidy desk to get to work? What does your work desk say about you? Let us know on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.