Reduce the Clutter, Adapt the Space

3 Tips to becoming organized, productive, and even comfortable

In today’s vast information, superhighway has leaked into our day-to-day lives in the form of excessive printing of various content readily available at the click of a mouse. Furthermore, traditional views stuck on the misperceived notion that ebooks, digital PDFs, and electronic notetaking do not suffice due to the preference for the ‘look’ and ‘feel’ of textbooks, actual pencil & paper, along with the ability to put heads down (i.e., lean over the material), that has driven many away from digital solutions. In other words, I recall thinking to myself that ebooks just were not the same as having a physical copy of a textbook to tab, markup, and later recall: all the while being posed over the book such that my head being down was a sort of means to get in the zone of studying the text. Although, it is true that when ebooks were first introduced, the available hardware was not yet available for optimal usage (e.g., the need to read a textbook from a laptop felt unnatural to me, for the tools like highlighting, marking up, and tabbing was not a fluid process). Nowadays, this is not the case: many available technologies can truly optimize various aspects of your life, especially those involved in fields that include pens, paper, books, files, etc., which is a majority nowadays. Less is more; minimalism is not a trend but an adaptation to the new world we live in, as complexities are inherent, so it is best to simplify all possible aspects. Hence, let the problems be complex, and the space for solving the issues is simple. Now, how to best optimize our space? Source: Pixabay

Table of Contents

· Overview
∘ Motivation
· Tips to Improve your Space
∘ TIP 1: The days of Printing are Over
∘ TIP 2: No More Notebooks, Paper, or Pens
∘ TIP 3: Update Space to Adapt to TIPs 1 and 2
∘ Alternatives
· In Summary
∘ DISCLAIMER

Overview

Over time, ideally, processes and systems that are regular are established — whether a product of experiences or external sources. The former, in many respects, is at the core of philosophical teachings on self-improvement (e.g., Covey’s 7 Habits of highly effective person) as a function of increased self-awareness (e.g., Tolle’s The Power of Now). On the other hand, the latter can be considered more as the cherry on top, for it spans the lessons learned from others — whether directly or indirectly, formal or informal, intentional or the essence of nature. This allows us to enhance our already established selves in ways that would not be possible if everyone was separated, alone in a vacuum, unable to communicate. Thus, all we know is what we can figure out on our own, leaving behind thousands and even millions of years of pre-existing knowledge to extend.

With that said, I am here to relieve you in that we will not be discussing the inner workings of what makes us learn, grow, adapt, and prosper — though it would be a fascinating exploration, here, in the now, I am not qualified to share such thoughts with rigor. However, what I am about to share with you could change how you operate: the systems and processes that drive so many of our day-to-day tasks. I will share the three tips and tricks I have recently adopted: components that optimized many parts of my life in work and leisure. I will share how having less drastically improved my workspace, hobby space, and even gaming space!

Motivation

Over the years, I have experienced vastly different circumstances that demanded adaptation to thrive. Early on, it was digging clams, where…