Albert Einstein once allegedly said, "If a cluttereddesk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?" While jury is still out if Einstein ever uttered these words, but if he did, Marie Kondo and Scott Sonenshein would not approve of it. In this book, duo precisely argue the opposite, and they seem to be right. Organizing office has always been a challenge, not because it cannot be done or occupant doesn't want to, but because it is a functional space. Unlike Presidents and Governors, whose job seems to be posting pictures of signing papers on their desks, common mortals actually have to use their office space to get work done. And unlike leaders of the free and not-so free world, one can only wish the luxury of well-dressed staff who can clean or organize the workspace during and after work hours.
The challenges of functional workspace are plenty. There isa constant inflow and outflow of files, people, and sometimes food. With changing priorities and timelines, the importance of tasks continuously varies,
making organization of workplace herculean. No wonder many people who start with a well-organized office struggle to maintain it. And once files and other materials start piling up, there is no going back. The question then remains is it worth reorganizing if messiness will reemerge, that too within a short duration. The answer to that question is "yes". Untidy workspace affects motivation that eventually results in poor work productivity. People spend a substantial amount of time in their office and with colleagues, and
being miserable during that time is not a good idea. Nobody has ever said that untidy workspace brings them joy and they feel inspired to do quality and productive work. Even Einstein have to be well organized to carry out several pages of mathematical proofs for his "General Theory of Relativity", and by relativity he didn't mean relative cleanliness!
Now the question becomes "how" to get it done andmaintain it. This is where the book "Joy at Work" comes into the picture and provides good strategies. For example, it is best to organize workspace
when colleagues are not present, by either coming early to work or spending extra time in office in the evening. Tidying things up in the morning is the better option, as it leads to the feel-good factor that can really make your day at work. However, the mood-boosting effects of cleaning in the evening may
lead to reenergizing romantic life and/or better sleep, an age-old problem faced by many. What to keep and what to throw depends on upon their utility and happiness that comes in having them. Unlike home, some things in office may not spark joy, but are still essential for day-to-day activities and should be kept
at safe distance. These may range from paper weight to the current boss.
While traditional desk-related work is diminishing, digitalworkspace and scheduling online meetings are playing increasing role. The book rightfully delves on it and translates decluttering to digital domain, which may be a bigger problem nowadays. This is because the physical space has definitive storage limit, after which things need to be let go. No such situation exists on digital space in the era of cloud computing, especially if employer is covering all the costs. It becomes essential to appropriately store and catalogue files, as well as manage tasks in the world of emails, online meetings, and digital communication and file sharing.
The best strategy seems to be the reorganization of theoffice space at regular intervals, such as weekly, monthly or even quarterly, and have functioning plan to maintain the workflow within the organized space. Some decluttering will bring adrenaline rush, others may seem like changing diapers, necessary but of no immediate or future value.
In the world of hybrid work where laptop sits in the kitchentable next to snacks and where one has to simultaneously meet demands of both boss and spouse, the strategies mentioned in the book may need some improvisation, but the underlying concepts remain the same. When working from home, breaks between meetings may be an opportune time for activities related to family planning. But the desired outcome will bring trouble of its own with toddler constantly distracting and creating mess. Changing diaper may then look like a relief. Merging tidying strategies for home and work may yield some helpful solutions.
There are several online products that can help inorganizing work so that decluttering is minimized or eliminated, altogether. Calendly for scheduling meetings, Trello for task planning and management, and
Canva for making presentations and storing relevant content next to the slides. Something like Slack can be both boon and bane. While the list can go on, reader can search on Google to find their relevant poison.
While tools can help organize the physical and digitalworkspace, wisdom and experience of others can go a long way in having joy at work. President Eisenhower divided each task to a matrix: Important and Urgent, Important but not urgent, Urgent but not important, and neither important nor urgent. He catered to Important and Urgent, whereas delegated rest to others. Oregon's governor has two offices: one to sign papers in front of media with smiling face and other to actually work (or pretend to work). Eventually,
anything that brings peace of mind will work.
The problem of cluttered office space is widespread, so muchthat Marie Kondo left her regular job to follow a career as full-time consultant on tidying home and office space. She is making a fortune teaching
people how to manage their mess. The book is worth the read, even though one has to pay for it for an eye-opening revelation of their messiness. For those looking for cheaper options, just look around.
PS: While some brave hearts can read this bookduring work hours, the best results can be achieved without getting fired is during morning or weekend.
