Minimalism In Your Office
Cut Clutter At Your Desk
Joshua Becker is a renowned author that writes about minimalism as a lifestyle. His book Simplify hit #1 sales on Amazon in the first week of publishing, outselling many top authors. He has written 4 books on the subject.
Joshua is the Founder and Editor of Becoming Minimalist, a website dedicated to inspiring others to find more life by owning less. Joshua’s rational approach to minimalism is a rational one that focuses on passion and purpose. This has made him one of today’s most-influential simple living advocates.
How did this all get started for him? While taking the day to spend cleaning out his garage, he started a conversation with their neighbor who brought up the concept of minimalism. In 2008, Joshua and his family decided to pursue a more minimalist lifestyle. They decided to remove their nonessential possessions. Eventually, over 70% of their belongings were sold, donated, or discarded. In exchange for owning less, they found a life of more freedom, more contentment, more generosity, and more opportunity to pursue the things that mattered most.
It was a pleasure to hear him speak at the NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers) AZ Chapter. I wanted to share with you some of the inspiring things he said. They are followed by questions from me, ones that can move you to creating a more purposeful life and an intentional work space.
“My possessions were distracting me from my purpose in life, the one thing that made me happy”
- What is your purpose in life?
- What are the non-material things that make you happy?
- What are some of the distractions that hold you back from your purpose?
- What hold you back from being happy?
“What is your passion, purpose and life and what are the things that support it? Keep those things that support that.”
- What are you holding onto that does not serve you?
- What are the things that support your passion, purpose and life?
“My intention was to remove anything that distracts me from my purpose.”
- Is there something in your surrounding area that you know you could get rid of?
- Do you have multiples of something, where you only need just one?
- Is there anything outdated in your desk drawers? Old phones, cords, etc.
“I own less stuff so I can accomplish more with my life.”
- What do you want to accomplish in life
- What do you want to accomplish this year, month, week?
- What can you own less of?
“People think it is a sacrifice to own less stuff, for me it was a journey inside myself, a better way to live and a better formula for living.”
Take one step towards organizing your space and towards minimalism:
Take 15 minutes, set a timer, go through your desk drawer or a small area you want to organize. Remove everything. Put back only the items that support your work and what you do. Good luck with it and let me know how it goes.
Want to learn more about a minimalist lifestyle?
Get Joshua’s most recent book, Clutterfree with Kids, it consistently ranks among the best-selling Parenting Books in America. http://www.amazon.com/Clutterfree-Kids-thinking-Discover-habits/dp/0991438604/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420308485&sr=8-1&keywords=clutterfree+with+kids
You can check out Joshua Becker and his work at www.becomingminimalist.com or sign up for his newsletter at http://www.becomingminimalist.com/newsletter-sign-up/.
Margo Crawford is a Productivity Coach and Professional Organizer with Wave Productivity. She works with entrepreneurs, small business owners and business professionals to help them get more focused, organized and productive in their workplace. She serves the Tempe and Phoenix area in Arizona. If you want to get more organized in your office and in your home call 602-677-8275 or email [email protected]