It was Albert Einstein that said, “If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?” Even research suggests that a messy desk is a sign of a highly creative, problem-solving genius. But being a genius doesn’t mean that you are a stress-free genius. Let’s take a look at what you need to tidy up your home office so you can better embrace the genius of your productivity and alleviate the worry that you may have missed some important details.

How to Approach De-cluttering

As with everything in life, you first need to understand how you are mentally approaching the task of decluttering. If you are approaching it as a chore, the less likely you are to experience all the benefits of a clutter-free workspace. A good mental approach to tidying up will allow you to create a new pattern of behavior which will result in a lasting change to your environment so you can increase, and maintain your personal productivity.

First things first —take some time to realize your goal — which is to be a more productive genius. Next, realize that a clutter-free workspace is an integral part of your productivity. This is because a clutter-free workspace is a functional workspace. It leads to worrying less about details or deadlines that you may have missed.

Clutter-Free Is the Healthy Choice

Now that you have the proper mental approach, you can begin to take action and clear out the clutter surrounding you. Taking action to tidy up your environment is not only a chance to make your environment physically healthier, but it is also both empowering and therapeutic. Actively improving upon your immediate surroundings reinforces that you do have the ability to positively influence things in your life.

A Place for Everything

You may have heard the proverb, “A place for everything and everything in its place.” It truly is great advice, especially as you work your way to a clutter-free home office. So let’s get started.

The first step you need to do is to make a place for things. But we need to figure out what things need a place and what things need to be chucked into the bin. So let’s start by putting things in piles. No need to sort through them just yet. We’re just getting started.

As you go, make note of what may come in handy to create an orderly setup moving forward — a basket for papers, a pen holder, and maybe a new pair of bookends. You will also need to start thinking about the unruly nature of cords and connections running to and from your laptop.

Oftentimes the random nature of cords running across your desk sets the stage for other disorganization. Consider streamlining all of those connections into a docking station that can be mounted out of sight. And don’t forget to keep the cord clutter that is out of sight and neatly tethered, as well. You’ll be surprised by how something as simple as cleaning up your cords can provide a fresh approach to your workspace.

You should also think about how to keep tiny things from going missing — like that micro USB flash drive you found beneath a pile of papers. It would be a real hassle if your external storage is accidentally lost. Imagine that you forgot to plug it back into its final destination after you unplugged it from the one USB port on your laptop. If you find that you have multiple USB-connected devices that are taking turns in your laptop’s one USB port, you can add USB hubs to ensure that your thumb drives, speakers, and other USB devices are secured in their very own places.

De-cluttering On the Go

Now you’ve shown yourself that small changes really do add up to powerful improvements. You may also notice that your stress level has significantly improved. Creating a clutter-free and worry-free home office to enhance your productivity will really pay off — both literally and figuratively.

But what about professionals who need to take their newly found productivity on the road? How do you streamline and keep your traveling office clutter-free and worry-free? There’s nothing so stressful as discovering that your charging cords aren’t in your tech backpack. If you’re a professional who works remotely once in a while or more often than not, the most important thing you can do is be proactive with your organization.

Make sure that your tech bag has its own set of cords for your phone, laptop, earbuds, cameras, drones, etc. Always make sure that they are in good condition — and most importantly, properly wound and tethered. You may even consider purchasing a power backup with wireless charging and streamlined USB-C adapter capabilities to reduce the number of “bricks” and “cubes” you need to take along with you. A quality power backup will provide you with information as to how long it will last. This is an incredible benefit because you don’t always have to find the nearest power outlet while working remotely.

Clearly Clutter-Free

Whether it’s your home office or your mobile office, or maybe your bedroom or closet, making the conscious decision to organize your environment is how you improve more than just your space. It is how you improve yourself — mind, body, and spirit.

Your purpose in creating a clutter-free space may be to become more productive. Just remember that you aren’t actually creating this thing called “productivity”, you are creating a space for you to function in a more productive manner. And your functionality is how you demonstrate the true genius of your problem-solving ability.