Day by day and week by week, we accumulate ridiculous amounts of paper, plastic, pens, cards, memos, printed emails, reports etc etc etc... the list goes on, and most of us just let these piles build up or, if possible, find a sneaky place to hide them out of view. Well, this sort of behaviour isn't going to be doing you any favours and has been proven to be a major cause of stress in and out of the work place.

Last week we gave you ideas on improving your health in the office; from walking, to lunching and even shopping (yes, you heard me right, don't believe me, click HERE). Well, that's all well and good but sometimes we over the look things that are right in front of us and I am talking about the clutter. We all know what I am on about; it's the build up of pointless 'stuff' from the past (no matter how recent that past is) that doesn't serve any or little purpose anymore. But, we, as humans, have a tendency to hold on to it and it's not only adding more stress to only daily lives, some of us are developing unhealthy obsessions with it all. Let's start on the right foot, after summer, shall we?

It's simple. Let's start with the desk at work. Take a good look at what you've got in front of you and really think about what it is in those piles that are stacked up on the desktop, which might require a spot of pre-sorting before the actual decluttering. So, have a look at what's on your desk, in the draws and even in the cupboards and start to go through everything, removing memos that were for a meeting that happened last year, that angry reminder to return the chair to the correct office or even THAT christmas card from the awkward colleague that has a crush on you but you felt too guilty to put in the bin... pfff. Trash it.

See, even reading about doing it is making you feel better, right? So why not get going. Expert Gillian Wells says that clutter not only creates stress but it can also cause anxiety, shame and, in extreme cases depression. No thanks. So:

Key points:

Make time -

It's important that you make time so that you acknowledge what it is that you are doing, giving your mental state the full benefit of the process.

Garbage bags -

Well, does this really need explanation? But I do suggest that you keep things green and separate paper from plastic etc. Recycling and all that.

Then, tackle the task draw by draw/room by room -

Don't go thinking that you're a decluttering champion, yet. As much as this seems like this is a task for fools, it's harder than you think. Don't rush things (unless you have your boss stood over your shoulder) and make sure that what you're getting rid of and what are you are keeping is the right thing to be doing. Approach the workload systematically so that, once a section is complete, you don't have to do any double checking.

And... it's as simple as that. You may think that we are trying to teach an old dog new tricks but sometimes, we just don't think of these things. So, when you're back in the office after your holidays, or you find yourself with a spare 30mins, tackle some of that clutter. You'll be surprised at how much better you'll feel.