KonMari your workspace (cube or office) into a magical place
Marie Kondo is my idol. She's a thirty-year-old celebrity in Japan and a growing celebrity in America. She's not a pop idol who sings about heartaches and breakups like Swift or Perry. She's no Vine or other type of social media sensation.
She's a cloth-folding, clutter-killing, and house and life organizing guru slash magician whom I adore. I would enthusiastically build a shrine for her and possibly name a daughter Marie. But for now, I will just share some of her tips (modified for the workplace thanks to yours truly) with you so that you too can KonMari your workspace into a magical place of zen and productivity.
These tips will apply regardless of the type of space you have at work, be it a cubicle smaller than a restroom stall or a huge, corner office (oh lucky you).
1. Declutter, declutter, declutter. Everything you have on your desk is fair game to toss into the trash bin or cram into a shredder. Of course, being you go on a shredding binge, scan any important documents first and store them into a virtual folder or two using Google Drive, Dropbox, and/or a zip drive.
2. Store vertically. Any remaining paper documents you have, instead of piling them on your desk or tacking them to a board or wall, store them vertically in tabulated/marked folders within drawers or cabinets.
3. Remove excess cabinets and storage bins from your workspace. The more storage space you have, the more you will collect, horde, pack away and forget. In one "emptied" cubicle, I found a full jar of coins. (I'm rich!) In another cubicle, I found a brand-name wallet.
4. Go green. By now, you probably know how I feel about paper and printing unnecessary documents (don't do it! Save the trees!) Your workspace needs a pop of greenery. Lucky bamboo shoots are great starter plants for the office and known as "feng shui cures." These plants are zen-inducing and easy to care for as they can thrive off of little water and indoor lighting.
5. Refuse to accept "gifts" from your coworkers. That large picture frame? Those old books? That wonky coffee maker? That huge desk lamp? Politely refuse these "gifts." You don't need more clutter in your workspace.
6. Present your coworkers with gifts. Generously. Donate the wonderful cra-- stuff that you're decluttering from your workspace.
7. Use a standing desk or a standing desk converter. You’ll be surprised at how much tabletop space you’ll add to your office when you use a standing desk or a standing desk converter, like one from AnthroDesk. The AnthroDesk Standing Desk converter is super-easy to assemble and glides smoothly. You won’t even need a mousepad with it’s slick surface. Plus, you’ll be healthy and fit by standing all day as you work! Don’t forget a comfy standing mat too!
The AnthroDesk Standing Desk Converter is easy to adjust, so play around with it to adjust to your perfect height, for ideal office ergonomic settings!
A neat, tidy and organized workspace will undoubtedly enhance productivity, increase focus and perhaps even change the way you work. With the workforce moving towards working remotely more often (yes to home offices!) and since layoffs are so common, it makes sense for us to have easy-to-empty cubicles and offices. And as Marie Kondo puts it, tidying up is life-changing magic. So with that, happy cleaning and decluttering!
Check out my other KonMari posts here:
Did you know that you can spark joy in your wallets by using the KonMari Method? Thank you Marie Kondo for helping us save money and make a few extra bucks!