Introduction
For me, being organized reduces my stress levels. It minimizes the distractions on my desk or in my home and I find myself far more productive. In today’s world of advanced technologies and focus on being eco-friendly, I have adopted a very minimalist approach to life through digitization. Here are several of my key recommendations to remove clutter from your home and office and therefore reduce a little bit of stress from your life.
Removing Clutter
1) Scan + OCR: Get rid of paper by using a double-sided color scanner and Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. As soon as you take notes at a meeting or receive a document or notice that you want to keep for later reference, immediately scan it and store it on your computer. The OCR software makes all of your files searchable and will even help you save time organizing files into file folders. You can also use services such as Evernote (which has OCR functionality) for easy organization of website articles, receipts, blog posts, etc.
2) Cloud Services: Instead of just storing files on a single computer, use a service that enables easy synchronization between multiple computers or digital storage on the Internet (Cloud Storage). These services can even synchronize files with your mobile device for viewing anytime, anywhere. Check out these popular services: DropBox, Google Docs, Amazon Web Services, Apple iCloud.
3) Virtual Assistant: Removing clutter does not just apply to physical things, but to your time as well. If you have an office assistant that helps you with work-related tasks, then why not have an assistant that helps with personal admin tasks? This assistant doesn’t even need to be in your own city – they can be ‘virtual.’ Your virtual assistant can help make dinner reservations, search for the best locations for family holidays, or even find that hard-to-find gift for your daughter. Look for your virtual assistant at one of these online marketplaces for freelance professionals: Elance or Gharmakai.
For even more suggestions how to simplify your cluttered life, check out the book The Simple Guide To A Minimalist Life which we also highlight in the Recommendations section of our website.