There are basically two types of people aren’t there? The messy ones and the tidy ones – nothing much in between. Look around your office now and I bet you can divide your colleagues into the two groups and have a good guess at what their homes look like too. There’s Rob over there with his comfort blanket of files and papers covering his desk. Piles of out-of-date magazines surround his desk as his own personal barrier against anyone who comes close. Then there’s the rather obsessive Sharon who has a place for everything and woe betide anyone who borrows her pen – she knows each of her desk accessories personally and will track them down to the ends of the earth if they are moved. Whichever group you are in, you can guarantee that you will defend and justify your level of tidiness or slobbishness and be very irritated by those in the other

group. It was once said that a man who puts his socks in the laundry basket before bed must lack passion. It is true, on the other hand, that the one who doesn’t even bother to take them off has other problems!

There are beliefs surrounding the ways in which clutter affects us, for example, Feng Shui which suggests that plants, stones and water create a harmonious environment and that one should sit with one’s back to the wall, particularly if one is an accountant. Not sure I understand all the rules but it’s true that an attractive, uncluttered room gives a good impression to visitors and allows those working within it to feel more relaxed. Clutter seems to have a direct relationship to stress, even if it is only because you cannot find something when you need it in a hurry.

Answer the following to assess your attitude to clutter, then consider whether a change in habits could improve the quality of your life.

1. As you sort your post, do you:

a) Bin junk mail immediately

b) Keep it to browse through at coffee time then bin it

c) What junk? Everything comes in handy if you keep it long enough.

2. When you’ve finished your coffee, do you:

a) Add the empty cup to the other three on your desk

b) Wash it straight away and put it in the cupboard

c) Throw it away, you use disposable cups

3. The bins in the office are overflowing. Do you:

a) Gather them up whilst nagging your colleagues loudly

b) Leave them for the cleaner, she doesn’t have much to do

c) You can’t see the bins, there is too much hanging off the desks

4. How about your email inbox? Is it:

a) Full to bursting with over 2000 messages?

b) Empty apart from those that came in this morning?

c) About a week old – you delete them after that?

5. Is the surface of your desk:

a) Clear and dust-free with a neat line-up of co-ordinated items to make work easier.

b) You haven’t seen the surface for a while but you think it’s pale oak.

c) There are several to-do piles but you’re in control of them.

Results

1a = 1, 1b = 4, 1c = 6

2a = 6, 2b = 1, 2c = 4

3a = 1, 3b = 4, 3c = 6

4a = 6, 4b = 1, 4c = 4

5a = 1, 5b = 6, 5c = 4

Score 5 – 13. You are a saint, or you like others to think so. Keep up the good work but do it with a cheerful attitude and lead by example. People hate to be nagged.

Score 14 – 22. At the lower end of this scale, you’ve got a good sense of balance but if you’re creeping towards a score of 20 or more, try clearing your desk completely then just replace the items you need. Everything else can be stored, binned or passed on.

23 or more. Not so good I’m afraid. You are in danger of being swamped by clutter. Ask yourself why you need to gather things around you and resolve, day by day, to reduce the amount of items that surround you. If you’ve been untidy for years it may feel uncomfortable or tiresome at first but make an effort and it will soon be second nature. Give yourself space to breathe and think – it feels great!