Minimalism has been around since the 1960s, but the minimalist mindset is much younger. Minimalism started out as a design aesthetic – think white walls, two chairs and a plant and you’re in the right place. But since then, and particularly in recent years, minimalism has developed from a design approach to a mindset and philosophy for life. I like the way The Minimalists describe it.
The core of minimalism is only keeping the things which add value to your life. This definitely applies to your possessions, but also to your mental space, your digital life and your time. Many of the ideas translate directly into your work life as effectively as your life outside work hours.
Physical Possessions
The easiest place to start is where it all began, with physical things. It’s about making sure you have the physical tools you need to do your work effectively. If you don’t have the right set up and are constantly having to look for or borrow things which you need to do your job well, you’ll be distracted by this and it will slow your progress. Likewise, if you have so much stuff in your work bag or on your desk that you can’t find what you need and there’s an avalanche of things every time you move something that’s not going to be helping you either. For those working out of an office type role this can be even more important.
It can be useful to also think about comfort and quality here too. Look at your tools and make sure they are fit for the job. Invest in these key tools, get things fixed or replaced if they are no longer fit for purpose. Then think about how you use them. Make sure you’ve considered your comfort in transporting them if you need to and in using them. There’s more information here about decluttering your workspace.
Digital stuff
No matter what work we do, an element of it is likely to include digital ‘stuff’. Whether it’s files, emails, invoices or digital outputs we need to work out how to store things and remove things to streamline our work lives. I can’t emphasise enough how valuable it can be to set aside a block of time to go through all of it and make sure it’s organised in a way that makes it easy for you to access what you need when you need it.
To apply a minimalist mindset to your digital stuff. Think about your mental model (this is how you personally sort things in your own head). Come up with a folder structure which makes sense to you. It can be a good idea to write everything category of digital stuff down on individual post it notes and then group them up into a structure that makes sense to you. Once you’ve worked out your structure create all of your folders. Then go through each item you have and either:
- Delete it if it’s no longer needed.
- File it in your new folder structure.
Mental clutter
Mental clutter is when you have more things to think about than you can cope with. It’s why you feel overwhelmed at a to do list which seems never-ending. Applying a minimalist mindset means focusing your head space on what is important, not spending time on things which aren’t. Much of this is linked to breaking the cycle of busyness and focusing instead on value. One simple way to do this is to always ask yourself if something is within your control to change. If it isn’t there’s no point wasting time thinking about it. And definitely no value in using your emotional energy on it. Once you realise you can control your thoughts, you can check the value of using your mental space on it. And, if there’s no value, quickly move on to more important matters.
Time
The final area where the minimalist mindset can really add value to your work life is in simplifying and decluttering your calendar. This can be the hardest to achieve, but also the most rewarding. Who hasn’t sat in meetings which they feel are of no value to them or they aren’t able to contribute to? Who hasn’t done a disproportionate amount of travelling for the value of the job? It can be easy to fall into the trap of feeling that you have to attend if you’ve been invited. But, you do have the power to decide whether you accept or not or if your time is better spent elsewhere.
The minimalist mindset at work
Minimalism offers many learnings which can be applied as much to work as to home. Maybe try a few of the ideas above and see what impact they have on you.
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