My desk, as I’m sure Marie would put it, is a pure midden
Is it possible to spark joy in a pandemic? Like much of the rest of the population who have been forced to convert their homes into offices, I’ve been experiencing a sort of slow-motion mental breakdown, so was happy to spark a little joy the Marie Kondo way. The good thing about operating from an office is abandoning work at the end of the day and leaving it for some other mug – namely my future self – to pick up in the morning. That short-sighted, devil-may-care attitude is a lot more difficult to maintain when your desk lurks at the foot of the bed. Notepad hillocks roll across its surface. Screens and cables battle for space and my attention. Bottles of supplements are dotted around, lest I forget to take the precious Vitamin D keeping my bones from crumbling into raw calcium. My workspace, as Marie might say, is a pure midden. Luckily, though, I received a copy of her new book Joy At Work. It contains tips for those working from home which, as far as I can tell, is almost everyone these days. First I thought about what items would be useful or spark joy - as per the Konmari Method. Post-it notes? To whom will I leave a Post-it note? (The cat, to let it know I’ve changed the litter, PS stop eating the ficus plant?) In the bin they went. Did my notepad, containing months’ worth of hard-won interviews, spark any sort of happiness? Not really. In the (recycling) bin it went. I began to get into the Konmari rhythm. That spare pair of glasses? Well I only have two eyes, Marie. Bin! This tidying method stretches to what sort of decisions you make in work, too – deciding to pare back on what decisions you make can even help further your career, apparently. Perhaps it was the recklessness of owning only one pair of glasses, but when my boss asked me on webcam if I’d like to do any work last week I simply shrugged, safe in the knowledge my joyful, spartan approach would have me running the show in no time. So try the Konmari Method in your home office if you want to spark joy - and perhaps a Zoom meeting with Human Resources.