Scott Sonenshein (@ScottSonenshein) is a professor of business and management, and he is the co-author of Joy at Work
Host: Brett McKay (@brettmckay)
Scott’s first book was Stretch: Unlock the Power of Less -and Achieve More Than You Ever Imagined 
His latest book is Joy at Work: Organizing Your Professional Life which he co-authored with Maria Kondo
Scott’s first book was Stretch: Unlock the Power of Less -and Achieve More Than You Ever Imagined 
  • Maria Kondo read Scott’s book and reached out to learn more about the ideas behind it and how she could apply the lessons to her life
    • At the end of their meeting, they decided that they should write a book together
      • That’s why they co-authored Joy at Work: Organizing Your Professional Life  
        • The book is broken down into two parts: Organizing your physical space and organizing your digital life
90% of Americans believe that physical clutter harms them
  • Having physical clutter around us increases cortisol levels and makes us moody
When we clean up our clutter, we feel that we have more control over our lives
  • We’re also more productive because we aren’t wasting our time looking for things
“People who are tidier are viewed by others as more intelligent, harder working, and also kinder” – Scott Sonenshein
Clutter can be a form of procrastination (having too many meetings, things to do on our calendar, etc.)
Things you can tidy up in your workspace: books, paperwork, office supplies, electronic devices, cords, product samples, personal care items, food, etc.
If you’re having trouble getting rid of a sentimental item, like a child’s painting, one study showed that taking a picture of it will make the removal process easier
  • “Taking a picture of that sentimental item tends to give yourself permission to discard the physical item when it no longer sparks joy for you” – Scott Sonenshein
When it comes to removing personal physical items, ask yourself, does this spark joy or not?
When it comes to removing work-related physical items, ask yourself:
  • Is this item necessary for my job?
  • Is this helpful for my joyful future?
  • Does it spark joy?
    • “If you answer yes to any of those three questions then an item is worth keeping” – Scott Sonenshein
Most paperwork can be digitized, shredded, or discarded
Since digital storage space is almost endless, it’s tempting to keep everything
  • However, that clutter creates downstream effects (like finding the photos you need)
Try to not have more than 10 folders in your email
Scott sticks to 3 email folders:
  • Current Projects
  • Saved Work
  • Records 
    • “I think people need to be less afraid to delete messages that they’re no longer going to use” – Scott Sonenshein
      • Think of your email as your desk, it’s not a space to archive all of your work. Keep only what’s necessary.
“You don’t want your inbox to get bigger than what you can scroll on the screen because that creates visual cues of overwhelmingness” – Scott Sonenshein
  • It doesn’t have to be zero but keep it limited
  • Try to batch your email uses
  • Unsubscribe from email lists that you haven’t used in a while
People are very resistant to change, even when introduced with a more productive system
Also, try to declutter your smartphone screen
  • “Only have apps on your phone that are again are necessary, helpful for that joyful future, or spark joy” – Scott Sonenshein
    • Silence and turn off notifications so you’re in control of what you want to do instead of your phone controlling you
Be careful of activity clutter (having too many events or activities)
  • You may be using it as a way of procrastinating on your most important work
To find out how you’re spending your time, make a task-pile: A list of tasks you’ve done throughout the week
“When you say no to things, you’re making space to say yes to things that matter more” – Scott Sonenshein
“Focus on the higher-stakes decisions that are going to be the most impactful and try to either eliminate, outsource, or delegate decisions that have lower-stakes” – Scott Sonenshein 
If you want to build a connection you have to be genuinely interested in people and help them
If you get asked to join a meeting, make sure the organizer has an agenda. If they don’t, politely suggest they send out an agenda so everyone knows what needs to be accomplished.