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Many employees work remotely from home. However, work at home may be complicated by one's procrastination tendencies and office clutter impacting work behaviors. The present study examined affective and cognitive perceptions of 88 U.S. remote workers at home (64% men) surveyed online on home office clutter, indecision, procrastination, and work-related factors. Results showed both indecision and behavioral procrastination were related (controlling social desirability tendencies) to high degrees of office clutter, office clutter's impact, job-related tension, emotional work exhaustion, and low job satisfaction. Indecision and behavioral procrastination also were predictors of office clutter, while indecision alone was a predictor of how office clutter impacted attitudes towards personalizing workspace. The most frequently reported home office clutter was paper, trash (e.g., used coffee cups), and office supplies, in that order.
Key words: home office clutter, remote working at home, procrastination, employee behaviors
Roster et al. (2016) found that an overabundance of possessions (their term, '"clutter") impacts one's perception of home as a safe place and had an adverse impact on relationships with others. These scholars hypothesized that an over-accumulation of items may impede an individual's well-being and their connection with their home environment because of the stress and negative stigma associated with clutter. They found that self-extension tendencies regarding possessions (a person's need to self-identify with their material possessions: Roster, 2001; 2015), and place attachment (how emotionally dependent a person is on their physical location) had a positive relationship with psychological home (a person's desire to self-identify with their home and physical environment). However, clutter had a negative influence on one's sense of home and well-being. These findings are the first to connect physical clutter with a person's health and well-being, providing support that material items may have a profound impact on a person and their reactions to other stressors.
Crum and Ferrari (2019a) analyzed whether clutter impacted overall life satisfaction among women of color. Results showed that psychological home was a significant predictor of life satisfaction, without place attachment being a moderator for the relationship between home and life satisfaction. In a separate study, Crum and Ferrari (2019b) analyzed the effects of clutter on sense of home in a sample of young adults. They found that the perception of clutter was a significant predictor of home;...