Tidy space, tidy brain: clear clutter

1. Diary date

Swap those chaos-creating post-it notes for one sturdy notebook – it’s the must-have organisational tool according to de-clutter guru Dr Marilyn Paul, author of Why Am I So Disorganised? (Piatkus, £10.99). Try a Moleskine Notebook (£9.95) from Purves & Purves to carry around, but invest in a big diary/calendar too, says Paul. Enter all notes, names, dates, ‘to dos’ in it – we reckon you will save an hour a day by having everything in one place.

2. Pinboard wizard

A notice board is a great way to highlight important events and must-dos and gets stuff off your desk surface making room for you to actually work. Not on the High Street's Window Notice Board (£45) is as practical as it is decorative and the pretty bird design is bang on trend.

3. Untangle yourself

Entwined computer and equipment cables and wires bring chaotic energy into the office, says Dawna Walter, author of The Great Office Detox (£(9.99) from Penguin. Untangle and band them together or tape them under the desk out of sight. Good ergomomics boosts productivity and minimises those aches-and-pains-induced sickies. Learn more about the benefits of good ergonomics at System Concepts and check out the Mesh Ergonomic Chair (£99.97) from Just Office Furniture.

4. Keep in order

Colour coding creates a uniform look and shelves of leather bound folders offer a sleek finish. Try the Holding Company’s exec style Leather Foolscap File Box (£199). 'Invest in four or five desk tidies or baskets. Label one, "Urgent and Important", another one "Important Not Urgent", a third "Urgent Not Important" and another "Not Important Not Urgent" and file accordingly,' says Dr Marilyn Paul. The Magnetic Desk Tidy (£5) from A Place for Everything will help keep surfaces clear.

5. Flower power

Plants are thought to absorb electro-magnetic rays from your computer and they boost creativity. Show your green fingers with the unpolished aluminium and get gardening with thefooted tray (£79) with seven pots from Conran. You can also relieve stress and beat work-induced tension headaches by swapping glaring overhead bulbs for softer, natural lightbulbs from The Light Bulb Company.

6. Relaxing rainbow

Re-decorate your office with a bold feature wall. Yellow is good for willpower, purple boosts creativity, and green is the colour of 'growth'. Try the Woodland wallpaper (£50) from Graham and Brown as a feature wall. Blue lowers blood pressure and pulse rate, so may help reduce stress and improve focus and concentration.

7. Play hard, work hard

An estimated 3.4m ‘tele-workers’, make a living within their own four walls. Sharing the kitchen table creates disharmony at home, but you can create a compact office in even the snuggest of spaces. Visit Sharps Home Office for a free designer visit or hide your home office paperwork by night with a mighty Rattan Chest(£300) from The Holding Company.

8. Think out of the box

Even radiators can provide extra shelving space; try radiator covers from Jali. If you’re not using something every day, create filing systems from recycled shoe boxes. Mark clearly with 'receipts' or 'bank statements', and put them in the loft or storage cupboard. Splashing out on a chic filing cabinet (£495) like this one from Lombok will encourage you to get organised.

9. Mrs Mop

Short on cupboards but bursting with cleaning products? Trust good old John Lewis to come to the answer of distressed housewives. Its enamel housekeeper's storage box (£20) will bring order to your detergents.

10. Got an Imelda Marcos shoe fetish?

Even the daintiest and prettiest Manolo Blahnik heels can stress you out when they are in a disarray. Let alone stinky trainers. Keep your shoe collection in order and think it through by seasons. Hide away those flip flops during winter and Uggs in summer. Make use of every ounce of space you can find with theWenko underbed shoe store (£14.95) from Amazon will keep shoes out of sight and out of mind.

Feeling stressed? Got the blues? Interiors have a powerful effect on mood. Read our guide to getting a good mood home. Out of sight, out of mind - not the children but all the clutter. Read our guide on how to mix kids and a stylish home.

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