For the first several years I was a
minimalism advocate, I worked from
my dining room table, putting away
my laptop computer and any papers
I was working with before the next
mealtime came around. Working from
home was such a simple way to be
productive—and how great it was to
be near my wife and to be so available
for my kids while they were young!
(Not to mention how convenient it was
to leave my hair uncombed and lazily
stroll to the table with a cup of coffee
to work in the morning.) Nowadays I
lease a small office because I find that
putting some distance between myself
and home helps me concentrate on my
work better. But I still sometimes opt
to work from the dining room table,
and I still enjoy it when I do.
More and more people run businesses
from home these days, whether it’s a
full-time gig or a side hustle. My next-
door neighbor sells stuff on eBay.
Another friend runs Facebook ads for
businesses. I know others who sell
motorcycle tires and “survivalist gear”
(whatever that is) from their homes. An
estimated 26 million Americans have a
home office that they could legitimately
claim a tax deduction for.
A lot of people with more traditional
jobs bring work home with them
to finish up in the evenings. Also,
an increasing number of people are
making arrangements with their
employers to do some of their work
remotely (usually at home) during
regular work hours, and they are doing
so for longer periods of time during the
week. The digital revolution has helped
to enable a workplace revolution, and
lengthening urban commuting times
make working at home that much more
efficient and attractive. But it comes
with its own clutter challenges.
Meanwhile, all of us have household
accounts to keep up with. Bills to pay.
Records to keep. Budgets to track.
Investments to research. Taxes to
compute. Schedules to organize.
Schoolkids need a place to do
homework or want to borrow Mom’s
computer to do research.
I ’m t o l d s o m e p e o p l e u s e t h e i r
computer to play games.
As a consequence of all this, most of
us have a home office of some kind. It
might be a separate room, or it might be
a desk pushed in a corner of a bedroom,
or it might be a dining room table, but
regardless, we have someplace where
we get work done at home. And the
home office is one of those areas that
tend to accumulate a lot of small items
and store unnecessary materials.
Prime square footage, in other words,
for a minimalism makeover.
How Long To Keep Your Records
The following are general guidelines.
Rules may vary from area to area, and
your individual circumstances may
affect your choices. When in doubt,
seek advice from an accountant,
lawyer, or other expert.
For the rest of your life . . .
• birth and death certificates
• marriage licenses
• divorce decrees
• Social Security cards
Solutions • 13