Writer Support: Tidy Workspace, Tidy Mind

Reduce the clutter and focus your mind.

This likely won't be ground-breaking news, but the state of your workspace has a direct impact on the work you produce. I know—who'd have thought? But sometimes, the 'organised chaos' system you have in place may be better served by a clutter-free, tidy desk.

Taking the time to organise your desk/workspace can help clear your mind and provide a better-focused session when you sit down to write or work on whatever task you need to do. Our environment directly affects us, there's truth to the saying 'Tidy Desk, Tidy Mind.' So if you're sitting down to write surrounded by rubbish, countless cans of fizzy pop and papers scattered you're going to find it difficult to focus and find a rhythm.

The best advice I can give on this is to take some time to clean and organise your workspace. Make the space tidy, but also make it work for you. You may be limited by desk space, storage, resources and so on, so make it an environment that feels organised for YOU. Do you find it handy to have notebooks and pens available beside you? Or are they better placed elsewhere to make space for something more useful, like a phone and timer? Do you want ongoing work in a large binder or a tray stack that you can easily filter and sort? Only you will know what works for you. There are countless organisation ideas out there, but you need to take inspiration and tailor them to you. Carve some time out to make the workspace your workspace. A tidy, clutter-free environment that works for you, not against you.

Until next time.