Irritable Desk Syndrome

It could be time to give your desk a health check. Is it cluttered, dirty, or disorganized?

If so, you could be suffering from Irritable Desk Syndrome, which can actually affect your health and wellbeing.

While not a medical condition, Irritable Desk Syndrome was identified back in 2004 as a threat to employees’ health by computer monitor manufacturers NEC-Mitsubishi.

A survey showed that 40 per cent of workers were frustrated about the clutter on their desks, but lacked the motivation to clean it up.

An untidy desk is often linked to long working hours and poor posture, so tackle all three problems if you can. It’s believed IDS leads to chronic pain, poor productivity and reduced job prospects.

Here are some tips to avoid IDS:

• Deal with papers – the number one culprit for messing your desk up – immediately; file them or bin them. You don’t need them on your desk as reminders – keep a To Do list on your computer.
• Post- its are a wonderful invention but don’t let them clutter your desk .Put them away and write reminders in a notebook.
• Put stationery in a tidy container or box.
• It’s obvious, but put things away until you need them again. This ensures you are not distracted by half completed projects.