3 ways to declutter your work life

It all started right after high school graduation. I moved into a house with a bunch of friends as we all started college. We were in a rock band together, and I was finally on my own. I remember that first move, throwing my few belongings into my 1986 Plymouth Voyager that typically was used to haul around music equipment. 

A year later, I was engaged to my high school sweetheart and now amazing wife of 23 years. I moved my few belongings back to my parents' house to save some money before embarking on a new adventure. Fast forward, and I have lived in three states and have moved a total of 14 times. That's a lot of moves. 

You might say I've become quite good at the logistics of moving. And with so many moves, my wife and I have learned to live like what Greg McKeown calls an essentialist. So we've never had as much crap laying around as a lot of people do when it comes time to packing up the boxes. Sure, we always say, "How do we have this much stuff to move?" But the fact we arrive at our destination, then immediately unpack all of our belongings, means all of it was essential. 

I'm currently going through another "move" in my life. While I've had nowhere near the number of jobs as apartments and houses (thank goodness!), there is something similar I've experienced in this transition. When you prepare to leave a job, you begin to evaluate all the "things" that you have in your domain, what you'll need to pass on, and what is simply the crap that has been piling up that no one else will care about when you're gone. 

In a similar manner, we should all learn to be work essentialists. Here are some practical takeaways:

1. Only keep the information that truly brings value.

If you're like me, you receive too many emails, documents, links to other people's documents, Slack or Teams messages ... and the list goes on. While I don't religiously follow David Allen's Getting Things Done methodology, I have found it helpful to process all of the incoming with the Capture > Clarify > Organize process. 

I won't unpack all of it here, but you have to ask yourself if the incoming is simply information you need to save or view and delete, or if you need to add it to a to-do for later. But the most powerful rule is that if it requires you do something and you can take care of it in a matter of minutes, then take care of it now and move on. Don't spend the energy to manage something longer than it needs to be managed. Don't pile up clutter upon clutter hoping to get to it someday. 

So how do you decide on information that you are keeping for reference? I ask myself, "Does this information exists somewhere else that I can easily find later if I need it (like an employee portal)? Does this information have value beyond today?" If the answer is yes to the first question or no to the second, then delete it. Otherwise archive it. 

💡Pro Tip: If information is related to an upcoming meeting, just compile the info into the calendar appointment or wherever you keep the meeting notes.

2. Keep personal items to a minimal amount at the office. 

Sure, more and more people are WFH these day (which is what I'll be doing soon!), but the rule still applies. If you have more than a small cubby cube of stuff at work, you probably have too much. Do you keep every pen someone gave you for a promotion? Maybe you keep various cords to old laptops or other things from the past no longer needed. 

Just like my 14 moves, always stay in the mindset to ask the questions, "Do I need this? Is there value to me or others for keeping it?"

This also applies to digital things. Keep work and personal stuff separate. If you're not sure about this one, ask the question, "If I handed in my laptop or device today, are there personal things on there I would lose?" Dropbox is a great solution for this. It's ok to have access to personal files and email accounts (as long as your employer allows it). But you should be cluttering your work tools with pictures from your aunt's birthday party. 

💡Pro Tip: Digitize the keepsakes. I love getting handwritten notes and cards, but I struggle to throw them away. If I'm honest, they don't carry as much meaning as a card from my wife (which I do keep), but I do want to save it. The answer is to scan them digitally and to keep them in something like Evernote or Apple Notes. Make sure it's a personal account if you want to access them forever.

3. Obsessive documentation is usually overkill. Delegate instead. 

I really like well-documented processes. And in many roles, it is 100% necessary. But here's the problem with too much documentation. Unless you're really good at keeping up with it and there's an organizational structure in place to do so, usually it just becomes outdated and hard to find when needed. Instead, delegate, cross train, and save the essentials. 

As a leader, I'm always looking to raise up the next generation of leaders. You might say, every job I'm trying to work myself out of that job. Don't hold onto anything. Over time, you should be delegating and letting others define processes and the best way to do something. Before you know it, there are a handful of people that are defining and doing all the things that you thought "only I can do." If you leave your job and are asked to provide information on things, you should be pointing to people, not processes. Then, simply document the essentials that only you can truly do. There shouldn't be that many. 

In this "Great Resignation" there are so many people making a move. Being good at your job also means being able to leave well. Don't leave a mess behind. Contribute positively to the culture, build up people - not processes, and work like an essentialist. Not only will this make the process of leaving better, more importantly it makes each moment better while you're there.