Is your workspace cluttered? Does it make you feel anxious and stressed?
In their book Joy at Work, tidying expert Marie Kondo and organizational psychologist Scott Sonenshein reveal how decluttering your workspace can dramatically boost your productivity and happiness. By teaching you to keep only what “sparks joy,” they help you reclaim meaning and control.
Continue reading for decluttering tips that can help you spark joy at work.
Tidying Tips for Sparking Joy
The KonMari Method requires that you decide what to keep before you determine where to store it, creating lasting order by ensuring everything serves a purpose. Instead of tidying by location (for example, drawer by drawer), Kondo’s approach to sparking joy at work requires you to tidy by category, which builds your decision-making skills as you progress through each category. This section explores the authors’ tips for tidying different aspects of your work life, from your physical workspace to your inbox, time, and professional networks.
(Shortform note: The category-first approach contrasts with systems like the OHIO method (Only Handle It Once), which emphasizes immediate decision-making for individual items. Cognitive research suggests category-based sorting creates “choice architecture”—a structured decision-making framework designed to enhance consistency and reduce cognitive strain during organization.)
How to Tidy Your Physical Workspace
When you tidy your physical workspace, the authors recommend beginning with items for which you have sole responsibility, and focusing primarily on your own workspace instead of communal ones. (Shortform note: Tidying communal workspaces presents unique challenges beyond personal spaces. Research shows that shared environments often suffer from what organizational psychologists call “the tragedy of the commons”—where individual users feel less responsible for maintaining spaces used by many.)
For those working from home, the authors emphasize the importance of clearly distinguishing between work-related and personal items, and focusing only on work-related items during this process. (Shortform note: If you work from home, studies suggest that it’s also important to distinguish your work space from your personal space as the physical boundaries you create help reinforce mental boundaries between work and home life. Without these boundaries, work often bleeds into personal life, increasing stress and decreasing productivity.)
Kondo and Sonenshein reiterate that order and method matter in the tidying process. They suggest following the KonMari Method’s specific sequence: books, papers, komono (miscellaneous items), and sentimental items, treating each category with care and focus, completing one before moving to the next. (Shortform note: The sequential approach leverages what psychologists call task completion bias—our inherent satisfaction in finishing discrete tasks fully before starting new ones. When we complete tasks in sequence, our brains release dopamine, providing not just satisfaction but increased motivation for subsequent tasks.)
Books
When tidying books, the authors suggest gathering all books in one spot and handling each one individually to decide what truly brings joy or serves a current purpose. They explain that this process also often reveals shifting personal interests and values, helping you recognize which books continue to serve you and which you can let go. Books that no longer contribute to your work or personal growth can be respectfully released.
(Shortform note: This approach to book organization accounts for the endowment effect—a cognitive bias where individuals ascribe greater value to items they own. For books, this tendency is often compounded by aspirational self-signaling, a behavioral pattern where people retain items that reflect their idealized self-image rather than their current identity or practical needs.)
Papers
For papers, Kondo and Sonenshein explain that the goal is to discard as much as possible, especially given digital alternatives. They recommend dividing papers into three categories: pending items that require action, documents you need to save, and documents you want to save. According to the authors, storing papers upright (in filing systems or organizers) improves visibility and prevents forgotten documents.
(Shortform note: Kondo and Sonenshein’s advice to rely more heavily on digital documents helps minimize clutter, but it’s also a more environmentally sustainable practice. Global paper use has increased 400% in recent decades, and yet half of all printed documents are discarded within 24 hours of being printed. By rigorously categorizing documents and eliminating unnecessary paper, organizations can reduce their contribution to an industry that consumes 4% of global energy.)
Komono
In the KonMari Method, komono encompasses all miscellaneous items—pens, office supplies, business cards, and snacks. Kondo and Sonenshein suggest dividing these into logical subcategories, focusing on work tools, personal care items, and food. When sorting workplace food items (condiments, disposable utensils, snacks, tea), keep only what supports your daily needs without cluttering space.
(Shortform note: While Kondo and Sonenshein provide recommendations on how to store food at your desk, research suggests deliberately storing food elsewhere offers greater benefits. While studies show most office workers eat at their desks, those who eat with colleagues experience stronger social networks and better health outcomes.)
Also, be realistic about quantities—the authors emphasize that most professionals need far fewer supplies than they typically keep. (Shortform note: Research in behavioral economics explains why professionals frequently stockpile duplicate supplies beyond their needs. The “just-in-case” mentality stems from loss aversion—a cognitive bias where the pain of potentially running out of an item feels more intense than the pleasure of having a decluttered space.)
Kondo and Sonenshein provide three fundamental rules for desk storage: Designate a specific place for each item, store similar items together (for example, all pens in one place, stationery in another), and keep the desk surface clear. They recommend using boxes for drawer organization and, as with papers, upright storage to maximize space and visibility.
(Shortform note: Bringing order to your desk can bring order to your mind. According to cognitive load theory, when our environments are visually cluttered, our brains must constantly process these distractions, reducing our cognitive resources for more important tasks. Physical clutter competes for attention, decreasing performance and increasing stress. The storage systems the authors suggest can help you optimize your cognitive resources for deep work and creativity.)
Sentimental Items
Sentimental items present the final hurdle in workplace tidying. The authors advise handling this category last when you have more practice deciding what sparks joy for you in the workplace. When evaluating these items, consider the joy or future purpose of each sentimental piece, making clear distinctions between what belongs at work and what should be taken home.
(Shortform note: While Kondo focuses on individual decision-making for personal items, sentimental objects in professional environments can be tricky because some may have both personal and shared significance. When evaluating items like team photos or project memorabilia in your personal workspace, consider whether they genuinely spark joy for you individually rather than whether they might be meaningful to the team collectively. Your goal is creating a workspace that serves your personal productivity and satisfaction—shared team memories can be honored in communal spaces rather than your personal area.)
Sentimental items might also include those that personalize your workspace. The authors explain how adding “joy-plus” touches—items that simply make you happy rather than serving a specific function—can significantly enhance your daily experience. These might include photos, plants, crystals, or thematic decorations that make your workspace uniquely yours. The authors suggest approaching tidying as interior designing, transforming it from a chore into a creative endeavor that expresses your personality and supports your working style.
(Shortform note: In addition to the authors’ argument that “joy-plus” items are a form of expressing yourself, research reveals that such personal touches serve as identity markers that can reduce burnout. Personal objects in workspaces often spark meaningful conversations with colleagues, help express professional identity in standardized environments, and create a stronger sense of ownership over your workspace.)
Establish Daily Rituals
The authors recommend establishing a daily ritual to maintain your tidied workspace and cultivate a positive mindset. They suggest starting each day with a brief cleaning ritual, wiping your desk and expressing gratitude for the tools that support your work. This simple practice can transform your workspace into a place that generates positive energy and enhances creativity. Kondo shares how her own brief morning cleaning ritual at her former company visibly improved her sales performance and professional recognition.
(Shortform note: Kondo’s tidying ritual functions as what psychologists call a “transitional cue”—a physical action that signals a mental shift between cognitive states. The cleaning routine creates a “trigger-behavior-reward” loop that helps professionals mentally transition into focused work modes, explaining why Kondo’s simple practice may have helped increase her productivity and performance. These boundary-creating behaviors are especially critical in blended environments like home offices.)
The authors write that these maintenance rituals serve as a bridge between the initial tidying festival and long-term habits, ensuring that your workspace continues to support your productivity and well-being. Dedicating just a few minutes each day to these practices can help you prevent clutter from accumulating and maintain the clarity and focus that comes with a well-organized environment. (Shortform note: With repetition, brief daily practices activate the brain’s procedural memory system. This means that tidying will eventually become automatic rather than requiring conscious decision-making.)
How to Tidy Your Digital Workspace
While physical clutter might be immediately visible and therefore distracting, Kondo and Sonenshein argue that less visible digital clutter can be equally overwhelming and disruptive to productivity. Emails, files, notifications, and virtual meetings create a significant mental burden even when hidden within devices. The authors’ digital tidying philosophy emphasizes gaining control over technology rather than letting it control your workday. They give tips for tidying documents, email, and applications.
(Shortform note: Neuroscience research confirms the authors’ concern with digital clutter, showing that virtual disorganization activates the same neural stress responses as physical clutter. Brain imaging studies show that cluttered digital interfaces overstimulate the part of the brain that handles mental conflicts, pulling energy away from the brain areas we need for focused, deep work. However, unlike physical clutter which has its limits, digital accumulation can grow exponentially, creating what psychologists term “cognitive pollution” that depletes attention and working memory more insidiously than visible disorder.)
Digital Documents
When tidying digital documents, Kondo and Sonenshein advise applying the same principles as physical paper: Keep only essential files and discard unnecessary ones. The authors also recommend that you organize digital files into a few main folders to simplify retrieval, and use search functions rather than creating complex hierarchies.
(Shortform note: AI-powered file management systems like Microsoft Copilot and KondoCloud naturally implement Kondo’s “fewer folders” principle by automatically analyzing content and usage patterns to organize documents. While these tools eliminate the decision fatigue that often prevents digital tidying, they represent a philosophical shift away from Kondo’s emphasis on conscious curation. As AI assumes organizational responsibilities, professionals must balance the efficiency of algorithmic sorting against mindful awareness and control of their digital possessions.)
Kondo and Sonenshein emphasize taking control of your inbox to prevent it from dominating your work life. They recognize that email is a significant source of workplace stress and clutter for many professionals. They advocate implementing a daily processing system to avoid accumulation. When deciding which emails to keep, consider their necessity for future tasks, their potential for inspiration, and whether they spark joy. As with digital documents, use a simplified folder system, aiming for 10 or fewer folders including subfolders.
(Shortform note: While Kondo focuses on organizing email, Cal Newport, author of A World Without Email, argues that email itself is the problem. He argues constantly checking email fragments attention and reduces focus. He advocates reducing the amount of email you send and receive by redesigning underlying work processes rather than just changing email habits. Newport proposes replacing what he calls the “hyperactive hive mind workflow” with more structured systems like task boards that compartmentalize communication, office hours for addressing questions in batches, and explicit processes for work coordination.)
Applications
The authors recommend reducing apps to only those essential for your job, those that aid job performance, and those that genuinely spark joy. Organize remaining apps into categories based on frequency of use or purpose, while regularly reviewing and deleting dormant apps to maintain your focus and optimize device performance.
(Shortform note: This minimalist approach doesn’t just enhance productivity—it also strengthens your digital security. Each permission granted to apps creates potential vulnerabilities in your privacy armor. Apps routinely access sensitive data including location, contacts, and microphone access, exposing you to risks ranging from data being sold to third parties to identity theft and financial fraud. Research also shows that official permissions and privacy policies fail to reveal the true extent of data collection, with many apps harvesting information far beyond what they explicitly request from users.)
