Charles Duhigg is a best selling author of two great books on productivity and efficiency: The Power of Habit and Smarter, Faster, Better.  Late last year he was interviewed on the KonMari web site, the online home of Marie Kondo, best known for her best seller, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up.

In the interview, Charles was asked about how physical environments help shape our habits.  His response was enlightening:

“Physical organization has a huge impact on how we work. For example, I have a habit of taking the pile of paper on my desk and cleaning it out before I work. When my physical surrounding is organized, I feel like my thinking is organized as well. Some people say they find that when they are doing creative work, some clutter on the desk can make them feel more productive. There is no one set way to be productive at work – the physical space primarily works as a cue to a habit, like getting to work in a productive mindset.”

Read the rest of the interview at on the KonMari web site.