"does it spark joy"?

This is my little space in the workplace.

As my lab bench suggests, I can be a bit sloppy. Hence the reason why I try to keep excess things to a minimum. I want to be minimalist but my actions often stray from that ideal.

So when I stepped into my office, I decided to commit to the KISS philosophy Keep It Simple Sarah (get it?!).

….and in 24 hours I made my first Amazon purchase for the office.

There’s been a sweeping trend of KonMari-ing, and while I often scoffed at and ignored its tenants, I can’t deny that there is something about the notion of sparking joy that, for me, has been enlightening.

A bit sacrilegiously, I’m adding as opposed to decluttering. But, I’m realizing that what makes this space different for me is that it actually represents a place that is not only my own, but also going to be my home base for an unknown (i.e. longer than residency) amount of time.

Ever since graduating high school, my location has been fairly transient. Be it dorms, apartments, countries, different cities - I’ve been in and out of spaces as short as one month and no longer than a maximum of two years (and that was back at my parent’s place).

The decorations, trinkets, and items that I did possess have been selected mostly for their convenience in getting rid of because, well, that’s how life has been up till now.

Even though my office space started out respectable and clean, it quickly dawned on me that this, although my place of work, is a type of home for me. With that realization, I’m learning to cherish it, enjoy it, and also make sure that I can spark joy with it.

So check out some of the changes. It’s still a work in progress but it’s becoming a bit of a haven for me.

This post’s lesson: Contact paper rules.