Article published: How order in the workplace and mind control work together
In a study, Dr. Kyra Göbel and Prof. Dr. Cornelia Niessen investigated how regularly sorting and deleting files affects concentration, mental effort and work performance – especially in connection with the ability to control distracting thoughts. A combination of laboratory research and an experience sampling survey in everyday working life (N = 158) showed the following: The organization of digital work environments only has a positive effect if mental self-regulation is also successful. People with poor mental control found deleting files particularly stressful and performed worse. In contrast, people with good thought control benefited from sorting through better concentration and performance. The results emphasize the importance of integrated measures that take into account both external and internal factors of work organization.
Göbel, K., & Niessen, C. (2025). Deleting and sorting files is beneficial – but only when you fully let go. Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 17, Article 100646. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbr.2025.100646