Small business owners are always on the lookout for how to increase productivity in the workplace. But you don’t need the latest productivity tools, desk gadgets, or apps to get started.

One of the best ways to increase employee productivity is to pay attention to office clutter. Simply keep your offices and work areas clean.

The infographic below, from the Cleaning Services Group, illustrates the negative effects of clutter in the workplace.
In the Messy Workspace experiment conducted by Harvard University, researchers tested participants in two work environments—a messy desk versus a clean desk.

All participants were given an impossible puzzle to solve.

The students on the clutter free desk lasted an average of 18.5 minutes before giving up, versus an average of 11 minutes for those working on the cluttered desk. Clutter undermined their persistence at completing a task by a large margin.

The study indicates that the effects of clutter on the mind are significant. Decreased persistence becomes an obstacle when you try to do something. In a business environment, that’s no good for office or workplace productivity.

The infographic goes on to describe how cluttered work areas affect six vital areas of your business operations:

Employee Focus

Use of Time

Stress

Profitability

Absenteeism

Morale

It also offers four simple, easy-to-implement office organization tips to help you and your staff create and maintain a cleaner office.

How a Clean Office Can Boost Your Business Productivity

Get all the details about clean office productivity in the illustration below.

If you like the graphic, or you’ve got an offending co-worker whose untidiness disturbs you, be sure to share this using the social buttons on the left!