SIMPLE LIVING

February / March, 2012

The Minimalist Office

Think of a clean, orderly work space as a gift to yourself. With a calm, uncluttered place to think, plan and create, you'll be more productive, less stressed and better equipped to handle whatever comes your way during the workday. You'll also spend less time looking for misplaced papers. If your office space causes you more chaos than calm, these ideas will help you create a more peaceful workplace.

By Eliza Cross

Reduce Paper Inflow

Sign up for online bills. Ask for documents to be scanned and emailed instead of sent via fax. Visit catalogchoice.org to cancel catalogs you no longer wish to receive. Put a dent in the number of credit card and insurance offers you receive at optoutprescreen. com, where you can have your name removed from mailing lists used by the three major credit bureaus.

Cut Down on Outgoing Paper

Use an online program like Google Docs to keep and share documents on the "cloud." Send invoices electronically. Scan receipts and business cards and save them on your hard drive. If you must print something, consider double-sided printing and remember to always use your word processing program's spelling- and grammar-checking functions so you catch errors before printing.

Eliminate Clutter

Clear your desk, except for essential items and one or two framed photos or sentimental items. Tackle any paper piles methodically and commit to file a set number of papers every day until the piles are gone. Edit wall decorations to just a few special pieces. Use clips to lasso any tidy cords from electronic devices. Visual clutter can be distracting, too, so keep your computer's desktop clean by deleting the screen's shortcut icons (usually by right-clicking with your mouse, but check your system's requirements first before deleting). For ideas and inspiration to tidy your workspace, visit unclutter.com and organizedHome.com.

Clean As You Go

In Korea, workers commonly cease working 15 minutes before closing time each day to tidy their work area. Get in the habit of picking up your office and filing away any stray papers every day, and your office always will be a pleasant place to work.

Simple Spring Salad

The ingredients for this fresh salad are readily available in February and March when our thoughts turn to spring- even if the weather outside is still in winter mode.

1/4 cup chopped blanched almonds
1 head butter lettuce, washed, dried and torn in bite-sized pieces
2 Bartlett pears
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup fresh raspberries
vinaigrette salad dressing, to taste
2 ounces gorgonzola cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and arrange the almonds on a baking sheet. Cook until lightly toasted, about 5 minutes. Cool and reserve. Arrange the lettuce on four plates. Slice the pears and brush the slices lightly with lemon juice. Arrange the pear slices on the lettuce. Sprinkle the raspberries on the salads and drizzle them with the vinaigrette. Top each plate with the toasted almonds and crumbled Gorgonzola cheese. Serve at once. Makes 4 servings.

Eliza Cross (elizacross.com) is an award-winning writer and the author of five books. Her articles have appeared in numerous publications including Parents, Writers' Digest, Natural Home and Mountain Living, and she blogs about sustainable living, organic gardening, saving money, eating well and living simply at HappySimpleLiving.com.