Choose your priorities and ruthlessly eliminate the rest
Recently, I stood in my closet deciding whether an old gym T-shirt brings me joy.
I was following the advice of organization expert Marie Kondo, whose bestselling book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up,” has swept the world.
According to Kondo, we can tidy up our homes, and our lives, by deciding whether each of our possessions sparks joy — and getting rid of anything that doesn’t.
In a world that seems determined to make us consumers, there’s a contrasting wave of minimalism — people desperately want to cut the non-essential. Freed of excess clutter, people find joy, inspiration and, of course, their stuff.
The same is true of the workplace, and I don’t mean just cleaning your desk (though that’s one of my six daily habits). I mean taking a hard look at your bigger goals, choosing your top priorities, and ruthlessly eliminating everything else.
Just as paring down your domestic life can make you happier, narrowing your focus at work will lead to both increased satisfaction and productivity.
Don’t just take my word for it: some of today’s greatest minds are firm believers in the magic of tidying up your priorities.
