Happy Tuesday, dear readers! I feel that Tuesday often is an overlooked day of the week as it isn’t the dreaded Monday, nor over-the-hump day, or the much anticipated Friday. So I’m trying to post on Tuesdays, as well as Fridays, to at least mark Tuesdays here on The Waki Librarian blog. And today, I want to talk to something dear to my heart, getting rid of clutter.

I really enjoyed this post from Lifehacker on how clutter affects your brain and what you can do about it. I suggest reading it. I’ll wait if you’d like to click through and read it now. No worries.

Now being an archivist and librarian, a lot of people assume that it is hard for me to get rid of things or that I must have a hoarder mentality. Neither is true. What is true is that I like organization (not surprising given that archivists and librarians organize a lot of information) and do firmly believe that physical clutter makes it harder to be productive and creative. It also just saves time because you don’t always have to be searching for tools or resources to complete your project.

One of my favorite tips is being disciplined about not checking email at all hours of the day (definitely clears out mental headspace). I’m also a big fan of single-tasking; I get so much more done, in a shorter amount of time, than if I tried to multi-task. For physical clutter, doing a quick pick up in the evening helps keep everything put away in its proper place. Plus, I like to go through a do a bigger sort and clear out items at the change of the seasons. Also, for a fan of office supplies like I am, keeping organized and clutter-free is an excuse to get some new office supplies.

So what are your best tips for clearing out physical, digital, and mental clutter? I’d love to read them in the comments.

Have a great rest of your day and good week. I’ll be back on Friday. Allons-y!