Tidiness

Tidiness is the state of an environment in which objects are placed in an orderly, accessible arrangement and clutter is minimized. It encompasses not only cleanliness but the deliberate organization of space, items, and routines. Tidiness is perceived and valued differently across cultures and settings, and its practical level is dynamic, changing with needs and tasks.

In homes, tidiness involves sorting, storage solutions, and regular maintenance. In workplaces, it supports safety, efficiency, and collaboration through labeled shelves, digitized files, and standardized workflows. In digital environments, tidiness applies to file organization, naming conventions, and clean desktops.

Research and practice associate tidiness with reduced cognitive load, faster retrieval of information, and lower stress in some contexts, though excessive emphasis on order can create rigidity or anxiety for some people.

Because tidiness is culturally and situationally contingent, standards vary; what is considered tidy in one setting may be seen as unnecessary or even sterile in another. Approaches range from simple decluttering to formal systems such as the 5S method or minimalist design.

Tidiness interacts with other concepts such as cleanliness, organization, and minimalism, and it can be measured by self-report, observer ratings, or adherence to storage protocols.