i need some help here. i always knew that my desire to become minimalist would spread to my office at work but i didn’t know that my company would pay me to do it. today, an email was sent to all staff that next tuesday has been designated as “office clean-up day.” the office will be closed and the phones set to auto-attendant as everybody cleans their personal desk, office, and shared space.
by tuesday, june 10, i need to have a plan in my head for minimalizing my office. and i would like your help. i realize that you don’t know anything about my office or my line of work. but i can give you a quick snapshot of what is currently in my office and on my walls. i can tell you some things that i know i will do for sure. and i would appreciate any comments that you have.
sitting in my office right now, i can see…
- a large flat corner desk with four drawers, and plenty of uncovered shelving.
- three bookcases
- one office chair
- two guest chairs
- one laptop connected to a monitor
- one bulletin board
- two degrees on my wall
- two calendatrs
- miscellaneous quotes on the wall
- three pictures on the wall
- two family photos in frames
- telephone
- lava lamp
- three stackable file holders
- sports souvenirs on one bookcase, travel souvenirs on another
- stack of cd’s (photos), stack of dvd’s (personal videos)
- one mug that says, “world’s best boss.” i saw it at spencer gifts and had to get it.
here are the easy solutions:
- decrease book collection to two (or even one) bookcase
- remove one calendar (why would you need two)
- one family photo
- remove lava lamp
- remove clutter from bulletin board
- store cd’s & dvd’s out of sight
you can help me by offering some other suggestions. have you minimalized your office? if so, what were the best decisions that you made? if you haven’t, how would you go about it? what thought process or specific steps would you employ?
There are so many other alternatives online.
Rather than an office and office supplies, try a handheld computer and work anywhere.
Rip all your CDs to iTunes. You can listen on your PC or mp3. I have an iHome in my bedroom that serves as a charger, alarm clock, nightlight and mp3 player. Multi-functional items are a great way to minimize.