vangemert.dev - "Nothing" is the secret to structuring your work

Tip

Focus requires a clean “work surface.” Before starting any task, clear physical and digital clutter (browser tabs, files, papers) to create a space of “nothing.” Treat work surfaces solely for active work, not for storage, to maintain oversight and reduce mental exhaustion.

Steven van Gemert

Picture this: you sit down to start an important task. Your desk has papers from three different projects. Your desktop has 47 files labeled “draft” or “final_v2”. You have 23 browser tabs open from last week. Before you can even begin, you’re already exhausted. Not from the work itself, but from navigating the chaos.

This is how many people work: they start with a mess, work terribly hard while adding to the mess, then lose oversight and get frustrated. The harder they work, the worse it gets.

But there’s a simple solution, and it’s probably the opposite of what you’d expect. The secret isn’t better organization systems, more folders, or color-coded labels. The secret is starting with nothing.

The Work Surface

The problem is that the world is chaotic. You cannot organize everything. Therefore, before you begin working, create a small space of the purest order there is: nothing. This is commonly called a “work surface.”

You use a work surface to temporarily place things while you’re working on them. If something is on your work surface, it needs action. When the work is done, you put items in storage, like a closet or folder.

Examples of work surfaces in daily life and at work include:

• A desk
• A computer desktop
• A kitchen counter
• A page in a notebook
• A TODO list
• Browser tabs
• An IDE

”But I Will Lose My X”

Some may object that they cannot have a clean desk because they’ll lose things. They fear cleaning up because they use their work surface for storage. I prefer to use things for their intended purpose. I feel like this makes it easier to maintain oversight.

For example: closets are for storing clothes. Chairs are for sitting on, not storing clothes. Floors are for walking on, not storing clothes. In the same logic, work surfaces are for working, not for storage.

And if you really want to stash all your files in the same folder, that’s fine too! It can actually make sense as a storage method. Just don’t use your work surface for it: make a separate folder.

Start with Nothing

The next time you begin your workday, try this: clear your work surface completely. Close all browser tabs. Create a fresh page in your notebook. Open only the one file you need.

It might feel strange or even scary at first. But notice what happens. Notice how much easier it is to focus. Notice how clearly you can see when you’re actually done with something. Notice how much less mental energy you spend managing the chaos.

The world will always be messy. You can’t control that. But you can control your work surface. And nothing, that small space of perfect order, is where your best work begins.