Time management experts and seasoned online instructors encourage faculty to be pro-active in managing their workload and workspace (Kondo 2015; Rubin 2009; Shi, Bonk & Magjunka 2006). Many faculty are in a state of “time poverty” as described by Maggie Berg and Barbara K. Seeber in The Slow Professor (2016, p. 7). Faced with the stress of having too much to do, faculty are impoverished as they rush to create course content and learn the bells and whistles of the course management system and respond to student emails. Faculty may not have control over class size or course load, but they can manage their workspace, schedule, habits, and course procedures.

Visualize your workspace. Is it organized or a hot mess? Experts at The University of Wisconsin tout the importance of organization. They recommend setting aside a separate space for online work and not sharing it with coworkers or family. Additionally, the ideal office space should be quiet and free of distractions in order to help you stay focused. Other experts point to the importance of an uncluttered space that “sparks joy” (Kondo, 2015, p. 39).

Rubin (2016) remarked, “I’d dreaded doing the clutter clearing because it seemed like such an enormous job… but every time I looked around and saw the extra space and order, I registered a little jolt of energy” (p. 33). For Rubin, the act of decluttering gave her a dramatic boost in her mental energy (p. 35) and “the stack of papers slowly yellowing” on the edge of her desk was gone. Similarly, Marie Kondo advocates for decluttering because it helps you put your home in order, and when you put your home in order, you put your affairs in order, too. She writes, “As a result, you can see quite clearly what you need to do in life and what you don’t, and what you should and shouldn’t do” (Kondo, 2015, p. 4). While Kondo’s approach may seem a bit dramatic, a little decluttering can help faculty stay organized and focused while teaching online.