A Guide to Creating a Minimalist Workspace

Clay Collins | The Growing Life Says:

March 12th, 2008, 20:38 pm

Is that your new computer, Leo? Nice!

Mike OD - IF Life Says:

March 12th, 2008, 21:03 pm

I love it….simple and to the point, no distractions….except for that ultrasound picture on the screen….but other than the expecting baby it’s to the point! lol

Mike Says:

March 12th, 2008, 21:05 pm

I’m an ultra minimalist and could rival what is posted in that article with my own workspace. So obviously I support a lot of what is said there but I think that is a totally impractical and unhelpful article for helping someone get to the point of having the most functional workspace.

Every single point in the article can be summed up to “get rid of stuff”

I think a more effective article would be “Working toward a minimal workspace” and could instead start with what is typical for most people and then re-purpose and re-function things to a nicer balance that is actually attainable for most people.

If people followed what was written here, it would be a gigantic purge that would probably be too much of a shock and would end up disrupting most people’s work flows for a while. Over time everything would build back up as you can’t have this sort of workspace without the discipline and work habits to support it.

michael Says:

March 12th, 2008, 21:44 pm

I also want to go minimalist-workspace if that means I get one of them shiny new iMacs…

EvanA Says:

March 12th, 2008, 21:48 pm

Do you really need the mouse and keyboard?

Corey - Simple Marriage Project Says:

March 12th, 2008, 21:48 pm

Love the ideas.

My wife and I are now working to create a minimalist home, and marriage (focusing on the main things of our relationship). It’s been great so far.

Jeff - Science Says Says:

March 12th, 2008, 22:41 pm

That desk looks painfully clear! Painful because it looks so nice, and my desk is so far from it…ha. I’m in the middle of my senior thesis and could really use that sort of clarity, instead of stacks of paper.

It doesn’t make it easier to write the paper OR blog when I’m constantly bumping things.

It’s cool too to see how clean your desktop is and how your custom-workflow appears on the screen. Thanks Leo.

Darryl Heron Says:

March 12th, 2008, 22:46 pm

Leo,

Looking at the picture, it doesn’t get more uncluttered than that! Thank you for the interview the other day. I just wanted to make sure that I had your permission to turn it into a post at my blog. I wouldn’t want to publish it without your approval. Thank you.

Darryl

Leo Says:

March 12th, 2008, 22:59 pm

@Darryl … of course you can publish it … be sure to let us know when the interview is up. Thanks for thinking of me. :)

@Mike OD: That’s not an ultrasound. Lol. It’s a diver underwater.

@EvanA: I’ve been practicing a meditative sort of writing, where my thoughts go directly into the computer, but I haven’t mastered it yet, so for now I still have to use the keyboard. I just have the mouse around to swing at people if they try to bother me while I’m working. That’s why I call my youngest son “Lumpy”.

@everyone else: Thanks for the comments!

Don O'Shea Says:

March 12th, 2008, 23:56 pm

I have been using some of the GTD techniques over the past year and they help. However, I have come to the conclusion that one can so wrap oneself up in GTD that NGD (nothing gets done)!

I feel much the same way about minimalism. For some, it is useful and satisfying. I tried it. I started to work at reducing my clutter and it has helped put things in perspective. However, the Neverending Story of process trumps progress repeated itself.

So I have taken on a new “mantra” (?): DIM? Does it matter? If my clutter does not prevent me from doing my work, I will tidy up…and leave it at that.

Iris M. Gross Says:

March 13th, 2008, 0:36 am

Nature abhors a vacuum, and apparently there are people who find a minimalist desk threatening, as well! The picture thing is interesting, I don’t know whether it’s a need to prove to our co-workers that we’ve got someone in our lives that we’re fond of, or whether it’s a way to subliminally be with said loved ones. If it’s the second case, perhaps a picture in the wallet would serve as well as one on the desk and take up less room to boot. For my own desk, I try to put very little that would distract me from doing my work, but our society is not yet ready to kick the paper habit. Even the government would rather mail out the digital converter coupons rather than have us download pdfs of it! So, we plant more treesc and hope supply remains greater than demand so the world doesn’t become desert.

Manly Dale Says:

March 13th, 2008, 2:47 am

I, too, try to keep my workspace as minimalistic as possible. Something about having a bare bones workspace that is highly productive but elegantly clutter-free is a lost art.

In addition to keeping the physical desk and surrounding area minimalistic, I also customize my computer interface itself to be as minimalistic as possible.

Great post again Leo!

Aloha from Hawaii,
Manly Dale

Derwin Says:

March 13th, 2008, 5:34 am

Everyone I know of with a messy desk says “A messy desk, an organized mind.” I don’t buy it…it’s just an excuse to be messy! :)

Your point 1 about the inbox could apply to an email inbox as well.

Great article!

Albert (http://thoughtsintime.co.za/) Says:

March 13th, 2008, 9:25 am

Leo, a mostly love the beautiful ideas on this page and the obvious love from which they are offered.

But such idealisation of the ‘minimalist’ makes me very nervous.

Some of the most beautiful and useful things come from the beautifully chaotic power of creativity.

In my experience neat desks don’t give me that.

More often than not the lightning bolt strikes when I have immersed myself in chaos and allowed the creative juices to slosh around a bit.

http://thoughtsintime.co.za

Jonathan Mead Says:

March 13th, 2008, 10:06 am

Nice computer. =)

I think the desk is kind of boring though. There’s a difference between minimalist and boring. You have to draw the line somewhere.

Double Danger Says:

March 13th, 2008, 10:47 am

I just went minimalist on one of our workstations at the house, very cool. Of course its a laptop, but still very easy and simple.

samantha Says:

March 13th, 2008, 12:31 pm

Iris- how would someone without a computer download something from the government?

I think it is important to remember that this is what works for Leo. I’ve learned (or am learning) that I am a visual person. I need things to look at to stay focused. If I put my to do pile in a drawer, it will never get done.

Don O'Shea Says:

March 13th, 2008, 12:50 pm

@samantha: I agree. The little pile of New Yorkers, folders, and the clipboard sitting to the left of this keyboard is my tangible to do list. The shelf behind me is GTD’s “some day” and “maybe.”

Kailyn Says:

March 13th, 2008, 14:59 pm

I love the ideas. I think it is important to have a clean, uncluttered workspace. I know I need to consider some of these ideas in my office. I have mountains of books and papers. You have inspired me to organize.

TerenceF Says:

March 13th, 2008, 16:43 pm

I have a problem with his wall treatment. Does whitewashing really help productivity. I recognize using minimalism as a focusing mechanism, but when you have only plain white walls to look at, do you feel like you’re in a workspace that is comfortable and conducive to productivity, or do you feel like you’re in a jail cell? I would never stick a desk facing into a corner like that, and dismissing anything you put on your wall as “visual clutter” is a mistake. Put up art and decoration that inspires you, has meaning to you, gives you the big picture needed to remind you why you’re working in the first place.

Knick-knacks are a different story, they do create clutter because it uses up desk space that can be used for work.

Also, just because you go paperless doesn’t mean you’ve eliminated the clutter. You need ways to process and organize the information whether its on the computer or your desk.

Chris Says:

March 13th, 2008, 16:43 pm

I was going to ask for a picture of your desk (like lifehacker cool cubicles) in your “Ask me anything” post the other day but didn’t get the chance! So this is great ;)

Kimberly Says:

March 13th, 2008, 19:16 pm

I just moved into a smaller apartment. I don’t have a dining room or an office anymore. I bought a high pub table. During the day I use it as my workspace and at night it converts to my dining table.

I love not having as much room because it makes you want to be organized and streamline your space.

Robert Bardou Says:

March 14th, 2008, 13:06 pm

Thank you. I will respect this lesson. The only surprising - where he puts the necessary things such as pens, discs, and other minor stuff and trash. I hope they are not littered on the floor around him? :)

Mark Says:

March 14th, 2008, 16:29 pm

Leo,

I very much enjoy your stuff, and have been an avid fan for more than 3 months now.

I think that the “minimalist” approach can be taken to the extreme. It can be so sterile, so devoid of life. Sure, it is appropriate in some settings, but certainly, not all.

I had a professor/mentor in college who was a very prolific writer, consultant and talented educator. He had a sign on the wall, behind a very cluttered desk that read: “a neat desk is the sign of a sick mind.”

Regards, Mark

Tom Says:

March 16th, 2008, 15:06 pm

Considering I’m 2 days behind the curve, I doubt anyone will see this, but The Guardian did a report/photo essay a while back on writer’s rooms - it’s interesting to see the spaces people pick/set-up to get their work done…

http://books.guardian.co.uk/writersrooms

Fubiz Says:

March 17th, 2008, 10:27 am

Beautiful pictures!

Adam Says:

March 19th, 2008, 2:10 am

what chair do you have Leo?

I recently started working from home and I need a good chair

thanks!

Eddie Says:

March 19th, 2008, 2:12 am

I cleaned up my entire room and office yesterday because of this article. I was so inspired to make some positive changes. It is amazing how much stuff accumulates over the space of an academic semester! I’ve culled it down to what I think I need and even then I still see it as a work in progress.

The challenge Leo should be on doing with what you have to create a minimalist, yet functional workspace. When I read your article, I was thinking about how I was going to have to go buy a wireless keyboard and mouse etc.

But, after a while, I found a middle ground in just re-arranging things and making them neater.

thanks for the inspiration. i’ve even committed to finding ways to go paperless!

Piankeshaw Says:

March 22nd, 2008, 21:43 pm

Love your blog..normally. But I subscribe to the Maximalist workspace theory. My workspace could not be more different. The pictures of my children and I crossing the finish line at Ironman events, friends that inspire me, and favorite places I’ve been serve as inspire me rather than provide distractions. I have stacks of stuff but can I can easily find what I need within seconds. My space is warm and inviting rather than sterile. Sorry, one man’s point of departure.

F.Blogger Says:

March 30th, 2008, 6:58 am

I like it, it’s very simple