Gretchen Rubin at the Happiness Project has a great quiz/commentary on the subject of clutter, packrat tendencies, etc. I definitely learned a lot from her article - both about myself and about ways to declutter my house. Click over and take the quiz.
In addition to her comments and topic areas, I find that lack of good storage space is often a big factor in whether my "stuff" becomes clutter or not. If I don't have a place to put something, or if that place is inconvenient to get to, then that increases the likelihood that I'll create more clutter.
One of the "project candidates" I'm considering for this summer is to pick some key problem areas in my house and figure out how to resolve the "inadequate storage" problems they present. Of course, there is also an element of procrastination here, as well. I've bought a couple of storage racks to hang from my garage ceiling, but have been putting off installing them, and I have a couple of cabinets I still need to assemble for additional storage. The Projects portion of my list is something I've skipped in my last 3 weekly reviews - time to get back on the wagon, I suppose.
What about you - any major epiphanies for dealing with clutter?
About once a month I pour myself a nice glass of wine and get out my shredder - I make an event out of disposing of all of the paperwork in my office that I no longer need (if it's that important I can scan it and create pdfs)...it is strangely satisfying ... I'm not sure what that says about me!
Posted by: annette clancy | June 24, 2007 at 01:36 AM
I go around and around with my mother in-law on this subject, especially when we visit and partake in her favorite passion: going to home open houses. She is always looking for maximum amounts of storage space... huge closets, pantries, sheds, and the like. I feel that you expand to fill available space, so if you minimize storage then you are incented to get rid of all the crap you don't need.
My wife and I are pretty methodical about getting rid of anything not used for more than a year, and it has made a big difference. The only conflict we usually have is over books... I like to be surrounded by repositories of knowledge (and, ok, a few trashy novels), but she doesn't see the point and wants them all gone. The solution? Create a library in my personal office.
Other ways to implement lean at home:
http://www.evolvingexcellence.com/blog/2005/12/lean_manufactur_1.html
Kevin
Posted by: Kevin | June 24, 2007 at 08:16 AM
Sorry for a second comment, but Annette's comment made me recall my first boss 25 or so years ago. He operated on the philosophy that if he didn't get to something on his desk by the end of the week, then it wasn't important... and as his last action of the week swept the entire top of his desk into the trash. A director of engineering at a Fortune-20 company no less. Engineering drawings, reports, personnel files... poof! So the rest of us made a point of going to his office around 2pm on Friday to retrieve any of our hard work that he hadn't got to yet.
Posted by: Kevin | June 24, 2007 at 08:21 AM
Kevin, that's some pretty extreme measures for an engineering manager. I am sure he stayed pretty well organized himself, but I wonder how much he had to pay to get his team to re-do all the work they had done already?
Posted by: Brad Isaac | June 24, 2007 at 08:34 AM
Annette - I love the idea - the wine will certainly take the edge off!
Kevin - first, thanks for the link; I never thought about using Lean at home. Also, your story reminds me of a small company where I worked back in the 90's. The CFO would put any purchase request he received into a cardboard box in his closet. If you never asked about it, you never got it. He figured if you never asked him about the status you didn't really need it. I don't like that solution, but he swore by it. At least he didn't just throw them away...
Posted by: Dwayne Melancon | June 25, 2007 at 12:55 PM
Hi Dwayne,
Working with clients as a professional organizer I've found there are 2 main issues when it comes to "storage" 1) having too little storage, AND 2) having too much storage - but not the right kind! LOL it's one of those great ironies in life. But underlying those issues are one common theme. Putting the cart before the horse. A corny old saying but it's true! People buy storage without assessing their needs before they buy the storage. Then they get it home and find it doesn't work. I recommend sorting out what you have with temporary containers / boxes and actually measuring the number of feet of storage space you need for each category. Then factor in your future needs and choosing the right storage will be a whole lot easier!
Getting the loft for your garage is a great way to use your vertical space! Even better, give it a theme / zone name, like "out of season" stuff or holiday stuff, etc. and you'll be rocking and rolling!
Good luck!
Posted by: Ariane Benefit | June 29, 2007 at 08:26 AM
Excellent input, Ariane (like I'd expect anything less from you!) I'm mostly in the "get rid of more stuff" mode right now, and have been making a ton of trips to the Salvation Army lately.
And yes, I've been burned by the "I bought this storage gizmo and it doesn't work for me" syndrome - thanks for the reminder.
As for the loft shelfs, I'm earmarking that for luggage (always big, always in the way) and seasonal stuff (Christmas & Halloween decorations, the volleyball net, etc.)
Posted by: Dwayne Melancon | June 29, 2007 at 10:20 AM
Dwayne, That is so awesome! Letting go of stuff is an even easier way to avoid the hassle of figuring out storage!
Your plan for the lofts sounds awesome!
Posted by: Ariane Benefit | June 29, 2007 at 08:13 PM