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1. A Note From Shawn

Taking a different view on everyday things and actions can be quite the eye-opener. Just a little twist on something commonplace can have such unexpected results. This morning there was a story on the front page of the business section of the San Francisco Chronicle about a startup company that has been having success creating fuel out of algae. Who’da thunk? There are still figuring out at what scale they’ll be able to have consistent results, but they’ve achieved enough success to keep the project going. Fuel from algae. Cool!

Our Article this week encourages you to reconsider how you can take the containers in your office from being simple supplies to becoming cogs in a lean mean office machine. The Tip give ideas for re-appropriating household items for organizing purposes. And the third In the News will get you thinking about how much really is necessary to live a rich life. It all comes down to turning on the creativity and seeing things in ways you haven’t before. Again, cool!

Stay healthy in this season of transition and enjoy,

Shawn Tuttle
Head Simplifier, Project Simplify
Co-editor, The Simplifier

 

 

 

 

2. Our Featured Quote

“Early in my career I felt that organization would destroy my creativity. Whereas now, I feel the opposite. Discipline is the concrete that allows you to be creative.”

-Verna Gibson

 

 

 

3. Article: Trying to Contain Your Enthusiams

By Shawn Tuttle

It’s back-to-school time and kids are getting supplies for the new year. Have you, too, been picking up organizing supplies for an office that “slipped away” over the summer? Perhaps you’ve been hoarding creatively-labeled files, containers for rogue papers, and sticky notes to capture random thoughts?

In terms of organizing, the concept of “containers” is seemingly easy to get. (So easy, you might not even call it a concept.) This container is for pens, that one for paper clips, this one for files. You sort things and store them in containers. What else do you need to know? Well, we all know containers are a key tool for organizing; however, most people have unleashed only a fraction of their power. One of the functions for which they are often overlooked is as productivity tool. Properly used, containers help you increase efficiency and focus while decreasing muddle time (i.e., time that slips away while looking for things or piddling around in low-priority activities.)

I often hear people say, “I’ve tried a bunch of different systems and they just don’t stick.” That’s because they don’t realize it’s not about the container. 

For one thing, containers are much more than just things you buy at your local office supply store. The store may provide you with the means, but you supply the meaning. You might ask, “What meaning?” The meaning behind the container, where you’ll find the smoothly-running systems that (should) keep your office in order. Integrated systems help you combine form with function – they reflect you, your work style, your type of work, and your space.

Learning from your kitchen
You know how important it is to have the right tools for the job. You don’t use a hammer to screw in a bolt, right? Giving the individual parts of your office the same respect will also have positive results.

The “rules of use” of a container needs to be specifically defined. If this seems a little confusing in terms of the office, let’s take a look at the kitchen, where there are many examples of clearly-defined containers:

- Clean silverware goes in this drawer.
- Mixing spoons go in that jar on the counter.
- Dirty dishes go in the dishwasher. 

For the same reason you wouldn’t put a spoon covered with this morning’s oatmeal back in the silverware drawer, you shouldn’t mix project reference files with “take action” items in the office–they just don’t belong together!

Having the spaces well defined also makes it easy…

…to put away groceries:
Yogurt on the top shelf, veggies in the fridge drawers, and cereal in the cabinet above the counter. 

…to make dinner:
Ingredients from here, spices from there, pots and pans over there, utensils in here, etc.

…and to unload the dishwasher:
Plates on this shelf, infrequently used bowls on the top shelf, silverware In the drawer, and glasses in that cabinet.

The success of all the different aspects working together—the physical containers, designated rules of use, consideration of how often an item is used, the location of recurring activities, and the order of events—is evident in the ease of use of the space.

Become a “master chef” of your office
Wouldn’t you love an office that flowed as smoothly as a well-run kitchen? This happens with a systems approach. You identify different types of info and materials that enter your world and think through each stage that each type of item goes through–all the way from entering your office to their final (appropriate) resting spot. When considering containers,  the question you’ll ask isn’t, “what can I put in this basket?”, but, “which container will best serve “X” function?” 

The container and its rules of use become inextricably intertwined. Take the inbox for example. 

What goes in it? 
YES – Only new incoming items.
NO – ” Take action” items that you are saving for later, bills to pay, or stuff that was hanging out on your desk at the end of the day.

How does stuff get out of the inbox?
YES – One item at a time. Ask: “What is it?” ” What needs to happen with this?” (from article: Inbox Zapper) and follow through until it has reached its next resting place.
NO – Rooting around looking for something easy to Zap or picking up multiple items at a time.

Following these rules of use, the container that you’ve labeled the Inbox serves one function only: a holding place for incoming items until you are ready to Zap them, one at a time. 

Understanding what’s allowed and what’s not allowed in a container wipes out unnecessary ambiguity. Decisions become quick because there is less second-guessing. It gives you a feeling of empowerment because things aren’t falling through the cracks. It gives you peace of mind because you know where to find what you want when you want it. You’ll have greater productivity with less wasted effort. 

This is a big piece of the natural professional‘s foundation set-up. For those who want direct support in figuring this out for your work flow, you can hire an organizer who focuses on systems. (I work in person and over the phone.) 

For the do-it-yourselfers, you’ll find most of the systems to handle the different types of info that passes through the typical office in previous newsletter articles and blog posts: the Inbox Zapper, the Easy Access Station, Filing 101, and the Reference Binder, for starters. 

Once you get the basics set up and get your mind in to the step-by-step habit, it’s a lot easier to see what’s falling out of the loop. Instead of working to ignore the growing pile of indistinguishable papers taking over your desk, you’ll be quick to guide the stragglers to their rightful places. 

A well-designed kitchen accommodates the chef and her habits. She knows exactly where her clean knives and mixing bowls are stored. She’s able to perform her art with ease and efficiency because she is well supported by her environment. If creating this environment–whether a kitchen, or an office–were super-simple, everyone would have it dialed in already! It’s a complex weave of supplies, tools, containers, equipment and their relationships with each other that create the opportunity for a smoothly flowing space. The time and effort spent understanding and planning it out is well worth it!.
—

Shawn Tuttle is founder of Project Simplify.

4. Your Simplification Tip

by Shawn Tuttle

Be Your Own Container Store

When I first started organizing offices, I thought I’d become a regular face at our local Staples. All the employees would know me by first name and I’d be like an honorary employee helping lost shoppers find stackable trays on aisle 10. While I’m no stranger to the store, I’ve found that buying more organizing containers for clients is a fairly rare occurrence (and the truth is, I don’t know what’s on aisle 10). Most clients have all the physical containers they need—whether they recognize them as such or not.

Why not go to other rooms of your house to find containers for your office?  Adding beautiful and functional items into your work space makes for a more pleasurable experience being in the space. Not only does it make it look less office-y, it saves you money when new containers are needed.

Here are some actual things re-appropriated for organizing use. The examples below are both from my own use and from workshop participants:

• an antique-looking candy dish with a silver base (from the thrift store) for paper clips
• a colorful, mosaic candle holder for pens
• a wood-handled basket as “inbox”
• a wooden carved box from Africa (gift from a world traveler) for business cards
• a beautiful Japanese-style ceramic bowl (won at a fundraiser art auction) for keys and sunglasses
• a long narrow ceramic sushi tray for keys
• an attractive, sturdy basket with a handle to carry items from house to car and back

Let your creative juices flow with this!  

 

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5. In the News

Compiled by Lance Brown

Learning to get organized (Ottawa Citizen)
URL: http://tinyurl.com/6qo62y  
This article goes the extra mile to help you figure out your child’s learning style, so you can better help them learn how to be organized. Cool! And if you don’t have kids, you probably have your own learning style anyway, so the exercises should still be a help.

What my cats have taught me about living  (Crosswalk.com)
URL: http://tinyurl.com/6syvcj
Meow, purr, hiss, growl…the four basic food groups of cat communication. It’s amazing that, with such a limited vocabulary, they can teach so much about living – and more to the point, about living simply. (Though I’m not necessarily recommending that you sleep 20 hours a day.)

Simple Living Provides an Economic Shelter (The Lawrence Journal-World – Lawrence, KS)
URL: http://tinyurl.com/6zwssh
If living simply by yourself isn’t simple enough, you could try combining efforts and resources with other simplificationists. One result? “I don’t have to think about money,” says one simple-liver in this article. I don’t know about you, but that’s music to my ears.

If you know of something in the news that should be featured here, let us know!

 

 

 

6. Featured at ProjectSimplify.com

A Year ago this Month…on the Blog

Fans for clients and lattes

Several years ago when studying Italian to prepare for a year abroad in college, we got to the national pastime of the country I’d be visiting–Italy.

The word that corresponds to “fans” is tifosi. I remember being a little surprised that the word had a connotation of being frenzied, die-hard fans passionately attending to their teams. (I didn’t realize at the time that “fans” in English is short for “fanatics”). Our casual use of the word is fairly benign and used for all kinds of uses off the ball field.

As the Italian version has stuck in my head all these years, I was a little surprised to read Robert Middleton’s ezine over the past year talking about “raving fans” as a good thing. His Sept. 19 ezine article, for example, was entitled, “How being outnumbered will gain you raving fans.”

I mean, if “fans” is short for “fanatics” then “raving fans” sound like they should be foaming at the mouth or something. However, I don’t think that’s what he means :-)

The other day, walking home from a writing session at my preferred cafe of the month…

Continue reading “Fans for clients and lattes”

Also from a year ago this month:

• A file for your future reference
• Take it all the way home!
• When is a salesman like a thought?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. Keep Smiling

Introduced by Lance Brown

Poll Reveals 430 New Demographics That Will Decide Election

You’ve heard of “soccer moms”, of course. And probably “Nascar Dads”. And of course you’ve got your white females, your minority voters, your independents…and, courtesy of The Onion News Network, you’ve now got your “Corolla in-laws”, your people who eat Artisinal sandwiches, your necktie Asians living above frozen yogurt shops, and several other important (if ridiculously narrow) demographic groups that could play a key part in making this election season more amusing for you during the next 3 minutes or so. (After that, you’re on your own.)

Click the screenshot or the below URL for this hilarious news sendup:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uql1avoyizc

NOTE: This video is not totally “family-friendly” (though it would probably pass for “work safe”).

 

 

 

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Thanks for reading!

Publication Information
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The Simplifier is published by:
Project Simplify
P.O. Box 597
Nevada City, CA 95959
phone: 530.205.5775
web: www.projectsimplify.com
e-mail: newsletter@projectsimplify.com