Ending a Workday
Over at Wise Bread, Brittany Lyte shared her five best ways to spend the last 10 minutes of your workday. My favorite, which was also the favorite over at Lifehacker, was to clear your desk of clutter:
Studies show that a cluttered workspace actually hinders our ability to process information and concentrate. We aren't aware of it, but clutter competes for our attention in much the same way as a whining child or a barking dog does.
Clutter absolutely competes for my attention the same way audible noise does; this has long been one of my triggers1. I'm a smidge obsessive about maintaining a semi-spartan2 workspace, so I've been doing something like this for years. I also make sure to power off my displays and speakers, put my trash/recycling where they can be easily retrieved by janitorial staff, and "reset" the furniture for the next day.