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Summer 2021 43 average 45 hours of screen time each week. With all this time spent online, it’s important to curate the ideal space on digital devices to reduce stress and improve the experience. Purge your tech of apps that you no longer use. This will help keep your home screen clutter-free, allowing you to access the apps you love faster and find files quicker. Resist the ‘just in case’ mentality and delete the ones you know you won’t use. Once you’ve deleted all unnecessary apps and files, create folders for different files to keep your home screen clean and organised. These folders could be clients, finance, contracts, important files or marketing. The options can be tailored to work for you. Push notifications can be a massive distraction when trying to complete a task. Whether it be a text or email notification, or an alert, they constantly draw you in to spend more time doing something that is a distraction more than a priority. Ditch the notifications and see if your productivity levels go up. The benefits of a digital declutter are that in any space where you spend a large amount of time, a regular clean can help keep you happy and organised. Your tech is no exception. Being more mindful of what content you consume on your tech can reduce stress and improve your mentality. Having a clear out of old apps, unwanted photos, files and tabs can help speed up your device. The less data you have stored on your device, the faster it will work. This will help improve the experience when using your tech, reducing frustration. Minimising digital clutter can also help you feel more productive when trying to complete important tasks. Having an organised filing system can help streamline your work, ensuring you don’t get distracted by other projects. And, not having to rummage through endless tabs or sort through mountains of files can help you concentrate and complete jobs on time, reducing daily pressure. TIPS TO DECLUTTER YOUR HOME OFFICE A cluttered home office can wreak havoc on your mind, and having to navigate piles of clutter can overstimulate your brain. Donate, recycle or sell items that you don’t need any more to make more room at home. One way to make it easier to part with junk around your home office is to divide your stuff into three piles: Things you’ll keep, things you’ll throw away or recycle, and things to donate to charity or ‘freecycle’. This methodical approach allows you to see exactly where your items are going and make the whole process less stressful. Take the time to ask yourself when was the last time you used a specific item. If you haven’t used it in a while, it may be time to let go of it. A good rule of thumb is; if you haven’t used the item in the last six weeks – and you don’t envision using it in the next six weeks – then you may not need it in your life. You can donate it and give it a new life with someone else. Starting can be the hardest part when trying to declutter, so incorporating decluttering into just five minutes of your day can help you establish good habits without losing a full day to it. Organising your desk is about more than just making it aesthetically pleasing. A tidy working space can reduce stress and anxiety, leaving you feeling more energised and positive with increased productivity levels. Here are a few benefits of a tidy home office: 1 One of the major benefits of cleaning your home office is that it makes it easier to maintain. When your desk is clean, you’ll be more likely to keep it that way. Once you’ve done all the hard work of getting rid of stuff you don’t use, keep the momentum going by decluttering as you go. Little and often helps prevent mess (and stress) from building up. 2 Clutter can impact anxiety levels and the ability to focus, making you less efficient in the long run. It can even trigger coping and avoidance strategies. Keeping a tidy space can help make you more productive, boost creativity and keep stress levels under control. Keep you work spaces clear and tidy of dirty plates, excess notes and keep- sakes to maximise your productivity. 3 A tidy, uncluttered desk can help you get better concentration levels. Trying to work in a messy room can impact your capability of focusing and produce quality work. A tidy desk can help ensure you can easily concentrate on your working tasks so you are ready to have a successful day. 4 A cluttered lifestyle can impact you more than you think. By taking the time to incorporate decluttering techniques into your daily life, you can help reduce and release any mental pressure that’s been created over lockdown. It will also set you up to be in a good position as restrictions ease by helping you feel more productive and healthier. <<