Tidying at Work

This past week, I read Marie Kondo’s new book on tidying at work, Joy at Work, written with Scott Sonenshein, a management professor. As my wife will attest, I’m very pro-tidying, so I was looking forward to this book.

Surely, the most straightforward application at work is tidying our own workspaces for great productivity. Kondo writes that “When surrounded by clutter, our brains are so busy registering all the things around us that we can’t focus on what we should be doing in the moment, such as tackling the work on our desk or communicating with others.”

And this reminder spurred me to clean up my desk on Wednesday: “Your desktop is a work surface, not a storage cupboard, so the rule of thumb is to store nothing on it.”

But beyond physical space, I’ve always been a fan of the philosophy of tidying and its relevance for all parts of our lives. 

The core question from Kondo's tidying approach—Does this spark joy?—is an interesting one, but doesn’t always capture the limits to our ability to discard parts of our professional roles or to ignore meetings that are less than joyful.

Still, with small edits, all of the tidying questions could be restated as ones that should feel familiar to our professional lives. For example:

I brought this [activity / obligation] into my life yesterday; is it still valuable today?

Does this [meeting / task / investment] bring enough benefit to justify the clutter it brings to our time, space, and attention resources?

Is this what I really want to be doing?

Moreover, the process of tidying is helpful because, by asking fundamental questions, it provides a nudge to revisit what really matters. Kondo writes: 

“Tidying up allows you to rediscover your own self. When you face each item you possess, one by one, and ask yourself if it sparks joy or if it will contribute to a joyful future, you begin to see quite clearly what you really want and what makes you happy.”

And that can help us choose better goals:

“When deciding how to spend your time, remember: Don’t trade an activity you’d love to pursue for a reward you don’t value. Being mindful and aware of what we truly want and who we truly are can protect us from falling into this trap of chasing the wrong goals that we’ll later regret.”

And it might even help us recognize when a professional change is needed:

“Tidying quite naturally hones our ability to discern what sparks joy and what doesn’t, and we learn to apply this sensitivity to all kinds of things. I know many people who switched jobs or quit to start their own business once they finished tidying their workspace.” 

Tidying for the win!