One very simple way to improve your ability to focus in your work environment is to remove duplicates of things you already have.
I used to have a tool basket filled to the brim with the various implements I use in my office: scissors, paperclips, drafting tools, stuff like that. I would always dig through the pile to get what I wanted.
It dawned on me one day that while I may need to retain 100% of those things just in case I need them (and it’s a legitimate potential need), I only use 10% of them with any regularity. There is no reason to have five pairs of scissors in the one place you ever need scissors.
I chose to either keep the extra tools in other parts of my house where I might use them, or put them away in storage, out of sight. My basket is practically bare now because it has only one of each thing that I use. I no longer store the extras alongside the stuff I use day-to-day; I have made a distinction between items that are for use and items that are inventory.
This might sound incredibly obvious, but it needs to be said because I know I’m not the only one. At this moment I’m staring at a messy basket overflowing with various adhesive tapes. There are at least a dozen regular Scotch tape refills in there as well as multiple kinds of packing tape, removable tape, double-sided tape, and tape flags. It sits below my tool basket, in plain view every day. Again, I only need one of each kind of tape handy in order to have a smooth running life, and even that might be too much. The extras can be stored away for the future, out of sight and out of mind.
It’s hard enough to focus on the important stuff. The small relief you can get by simplifying your workspace is very real and very helpful. I know this, and yet I’m still digging through a basket of tape to get the one spool that I’m going through. You can be sure that will change after I post this article.
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