A clear desk is the key to clear mind. Here are 10 steps to creating a minimalist workspace to boost your productivity and peace of mind.
1. Clear Out The Junk
Set up two boxes and label one “Keep” and the other “Relocate”. Go through and determine each items fate. Staples, notebooks, pens, laptop charger? Keep ‘em! That F. Scott Fitzgerald book from high school? Better off relocating it to a different part of your home or just donating it entirely.
2. Create Clear Surfaces
The key to a minimalist workspace is a clear, flat surface to work on. Wipe off your desk and keep it free of items except for the absolute essentials like your monitor and a pencil holder.
Want to make that surface a little bit bigger? Invest in a monitor arm clamp and a clamp lamp to keep your screen and lamp off your desk.
3. Shelves, Drawers & Boxes
Utilize storage to keep your essential work supplies neat and organized. Buy furniture that comes with built in storage like a desk with drawers or a filing cabinet.
Use pencil boxes and small decorative containers for your smaller supplies like pens or markers. Don’t throw away your old pill bottles! These a great for paper clips, thumbtacks and other loose things you find running wild in your drawers.
I'm a big crafter so I purchased this cute utility cart from Ikea. This lets me easily roll my supplies over to my desk and then roll it back to my closet when I'm done working to keep my space clear of clutter.
4. Build Up, Not Out
Bookshelves are great but, if you can, consider hanging shelves on your walls instead. Install a hook for a laptop bag or briefcase so it doesn’t stay slumped on the ground.
Keeping things off your floor makes your space appear bigger and cleaner. Not to mention, it makes it quick and easy to sweep and vacuum your floors.
5. Sort by Function
Now that you have all your storage possibilities in place it’s time to start picking things back out of that ‘Keep’ box. Place things together by function, if it doesn’t have a function then it doesn’t have a place in your workspace.
I love sending hand written letters complete with a wax seal and fancy cursive so I set aside a writing box I pull out for these kind of projects. Its nice having everything from postage stamps to sealing wax in one spot and makes cleaning up effortless.
Do you still have a lot of supplies left over? Keep all the duplicates like extra sketchbooks and spare batteries in your ‘Keep’ box and put it away out of sight for when you need to restock.
6. Label Everything
If you decide to use boxes or containers to start sorting items be sure to clearly and neatly write the contents on the outside. Not only will this help you find things quicker it will train you to start putting things back in their proper place.
7. Try Going Paperless
Grab all of your papers, yes ALL of them, and start sorting. Junk mail? Throw it out. Holiday cards? Hang them on the fridge or display them on a shelf.
What you might have left is a lot of bills, bank statements, memos and other “important” documents. If you don’t NEED it then shred it. Everything else goes in a folder to your local office supply shop to be digitally scanned to your USB.
Visit your bank and utility company’s website and sign up for paperless bills. Opt for receiving emails with your bill statements instead of paper mail.
8. Don’t Let Cables Take Over Your Life
Cords and wires can somehow become a nest of knots seemingly overnight. Buy an extension cord power strip and secure it to the underside of your desk so you only have one cord snaking from the wall outlet. Plug in your lamp, computer and other desk electronics to the power strip, coil the excess slack and secure it with a twisty tie or rubber band. You’ll never have tangled wires again!
9. Just A Little Decoration
Some of us can deal with plain, bare surfaces but the rest of us need our space to feel cozy. Go for small sentimental or functional items. Maybe a small vase for flowers, a stress ball or a picture frame. Aim for no more than one decorative thing on your desk and no more than three decorative things in your workspace all-together.
A neatly framed piece of art above your desk can add color and warmth to your space without actually taking up any space.
10. Take Preventative Measures
So now you have this beautifully clean and functional workspace but how are you going to keep it this way?
Keep a small trash can near your desk to quickly dispose of clutter as soon as it occurs. Always clean up your workspace after you’re done using it. Don’t put anything in or around your workspace that doesn’t directly contribute to your productivity.
Lastly, appreciate your new minimalist workspace and soon you’ll find yourself effortlessly maintaining it.
Want more minimalist ideas? Follow my Minimalist Home board on Pinterest.