Clean your room! Yeah, I know… I sound like your mom again, but I promise I’m going somewhere. Within the last month, I have noticed something when I do occasionally work in my room. As mentioned in a previous post, I try to avoid working in my room; I tend to become distracted. I would notice dirty dishes on my desk or trash that needed to be taken out. There have been a few times, however, when I actually stayed on task in my room. The common denominator — a clean workspace.

Working in a clean room proves to be more efficient. People tend to feel better, and in turn, work more efficiently when their workspace is clean. An organized office can even improve your health, making sick days less prevalent. Also, it may be a mood booster and an aid in preventing unnecessary stress. Who knew one simple change could have so many great qualities.

Not only does keeping your space clean improve your work quality, it can also help you to feel better. Last week, my roommate and I noticed that our room smelled a bit off, however the source of the smell mystified us. We collectively decided that a deep cleaning was in order. We both changed our sheets, did laundry, and organized our own spaces. I dusted the room and cleaned out the fridge, and she swiffered the floor and got rid of an old trash can.  To top it off, we purchased an air freshener and a room spray to include fresh scents in our living space. Boy that made a difference. The odd smell was gone, and the room looked great too. When I walked back into the room a few hours later, my mood immediately improved. I promise, I am not the only one who feels good about having a clean room, it really does benefit your mental health. It felt good to enter into a space and not immediately see things that needed to get done. Instead of adding items to my “to do” list, I was able to simply sit back and relax. I could finally focus on the task at hand, rather than thinking about the various other improvements I could make to my room.

So, what’s my advice for this week. Yes, take a little time out of your weekend to straighten up the place, but don’t put too much pressure on yourself to be perfect. Realistically, as first year college students, we are not always going to be able to keep our rooms totally perfect. In order to make cleaning manageable, try doing just one or two tasks per day. Set aside a less busy week day for longer activities like laundry or shopping. For me, that day is Thursday (I only have one class in the morning). Save smaller tasks for days when you only have a few minutes to spare.