Problem Solving: A.P.E.

This morning I took 15 minutes to do a little walkabout around the house...

First, a little background...

For the month of January I've been working on building a good habit, spending 10-15 minutes a day decluttering a shelf or a drawer or a cupboard. Each little declutter session was spent in a different room or area.

These Small Victories have had a very positive effect in our little household. Although I could have probably completed all of my declutter sessions in one, glorious, All Day Saturday Clean-up, I feel my decluttering was more thoughtfully accomplished by taking it in slow, easy steps. Also, small chunks of time decluttering and cleaning have allowed BIG chunks of time for the Important Things in Life. That's a good thing as Martha Stewart would say!

My walkabout was a good review of what I've accomplished. Yeah!...pat on the back and increased enthusiasm to keep decluttering. It also identified some problems.

Example? Stinky ski clothes. : (

Husband's solution? Dry things out by draping clothing all around our bedroom.

Really?!? I don't think so.

So, I took a leaf out of my own book...A.P.E. - a simplified problem-solving method I used with my students.

A...Analyze.

What exactly is the problem? Who “owns” the problem? Who else is affected? What's causing the problem? How important is it to solve the problem? Does the problem need a temporary or permanent solution?

P...Plan.

Brainstorm different ways to solve the problem. Ask others for ideas. Do a little research. Decide on a plan and put it into action.

E...Evaluate.

Decide how long you'll give the new plan a chance to work. Follow through by evaluating! Most important? If the plan didn't work, start analyzing again and come up with a new plan.

What about the stinky ski clothes, you ask?

I think I've come up with an acceptable plan (a repurposed clothes drying rack in a space room close to our bedroom, plus a boot tray at a back door we don't use in winter). We'll see! We'll evaluate at the end of the month.  : )

Setting Limits

Yesterday, Leo Babauta (Zen Habits) wrote an excellent article, “In Praise of Limits”.

He suggests some very practical examples:

• Limiting the number of hours you work and increasing your efficiency during those working hours...
• Limiting your shopping and only buying items other than consumables like groceries on the first of the month...
• Limiting your eating to pre-defined times...

I found this article inspiring, not because of the examples, but because his conclusion really spoke to me!

“...limits can be powerful,

because they force us to choose,

to focus, to go from excess to healthy moderation.”

So true!

I have my own list of four limits that I started about a year ago. It's more a list of policies rather than a list of specific objectives like Leo's, but they do force me “...to choose, to focus, to go from excess to healthy moderation.”

1. Limit entry. In my home, items I purchase are now limited almost entirely to consumables (groceries, cleaning products, toiletries) and replacements (when a new item comes in, the old one goes out). This “rule” also applies to commitments – no new responsibilities, tasks, volunteer work, etc., added to my plate unless a commitment is removed. I'm learning to firmly say, “No.”

2. Limit time. As I move through each portion of my day, I'm trying to consciously decide first how much time will I spend on an activity. By sticking to time limits, I'm consciously reducing the time spent on the more mundane, necessary tasks in life and allowing bigger blocks of time for my “Five Important Things”.

3. Limit assigned space. This is a more specific limitation that I'm applying to my home. As I (slowly, but surely!) declutter, I decide on categories, assign a specific space to that category and limit the number of items based on the space allowed. Three examples,

• My dresser has a number of small drawers. Each drawer is a category (nightwear, cleaning/gardening clothes, travel items, underwear). The drawer can only contain what reasonably and neatly fits!
• Storage of Christmas items was limited this year to one shelf in our storage room.
• Condiments are limited to three shelves in my fridge. Nothing new until an existing bottle is used up!

Limiting the assigned space forces some thinking on my part – how many items should I reasonably own and which ones should stay or go. By forbidding items that don't belong to jump into those assigned spaces, it actually becomes fairly easy to keep those spots tidy.

4. Limit access. Again, this limitation applies almost entirely to my home. It's also perhaps the hardest to explain! First, no space is under lock and key! However, by storing things only one person is likely to use separate from things multiple people will want access to, life is considerably simplified. Some examples in the kitchen?

• When our kids still lived at home, we had a breakfast cart. In the morning, the cart (bowls, spoons, cereal, toaster, bread, etc.) was wheeled over and milk put on the table. There was no need to “access” any countertops, cupboards, pantry... Clean-up was minimal.
• Today, with just two of us, we have a Breakfast Station beside the fridge – a short row of countertop containers (one type of dry cereal, oatmeal, almonds, raisins) and a toaster stored below. Again, clean-up is limited to a quick wipe of that countertop.
• As the main baker, all baking supplies, tools and pans are isolated and kept on shelves and in cupboards no one else feels a need to access.

My response: "Seven routines and guidelines to live as an unclutterer..."

Yesterday, I stumbled upon a great article at www.unclutter.com

Seven routines and guidelines to

live as an unclutterer – no super powers necessary

- Erin Doland; January 3, 2012

Click on the title to read the full article.

I thought Erin really boiled down some of the feelings and thoughts flitting through my head this past month as I've worked on my January challenge: Small Victories. In fact, for a bit of motivation, I've printed off the seven routines and guidelines and posted them on my “quote” clipboard that's hanging by my desk.

This is a big improvement on the last quote....”My brain has too many tabs open...”!

Here are some of my thoughts after reading Erin's article about the seven routines and guidelines...

1. Have a place for everything. Yes, everything in your home needs an assigned spot, BUT it's also important that everyone in the home agrees on that spot! What's handy for one might be inconvenient for another. That's when the item in question starts to wander! Also, I'm quickly learning that if you've lived in a place for a number of years, the “good spots” often need to change as your family grows.

2. When you're finished using something, put it away. Pretty obvious and something our mothers all told us, but I have to admit, I still plead, “Guilty!” to this one. I especially liked the advice, “If you’re finished using something for good, put it in the trash, recycling, shredder, or donation bin.” If I could do only one thing to improve the organization in our home, it would be to create a more efficient “exit system” for items we no longer need.

3. The fewer things you own, the fewer things you have to store, maintain, put away, clean, etc. One of the huge benefits I've noticed this past month as I work at decluttering horizontal surfaces is how much quicker it is to clean.

4. Only own things with utility and things that bring you happiness. “...things that bring you happiness.” Hmm...I'm glad that part was added. I will never be a true minimalist as many of my happy memories are represented by things. This past year, however, I have been trying to find balance by only having a few items out at a time and storing the rest away. Changing what's on display every month or so is enjoyable and I actually notice the displayed items more.

5. One in, one out. Yes, yes, yes!! This past year I have made a real effort to only buy consumable items (food, toiletries, cleaning supplies, etc.). To underline this, I've changed my phone lists to CONSUMABLES (basically my grocery list) and REPLACEMENTS.

6. Everyone does his/her part. No need to comment on how everyone in a home needs to be involved in keeping a home clean and comfortable. It is hard to get everyone on board with simplifying and decluttering, however, especially with shared areas. Sigh!

7. Do a little every day. The more I read, the more this seems to be the best approach. Avoid burn-out, I remind myself. I've learned that lesson! I allow myself to take a random approach, a shelf here, a drawer there. Some areas have a lot of emotional investment and are very challenging – baby things, photographs, things passed down from family. When I'm not up to that, I pick a simple space with no emotional ties, like a pantry shelf. Each small victory is valued!

LOL...

One of the advantages of being disorderly

is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries.

- A. A. Milne (author of Winnie the Pooh)

So true! There IS an upside to being disorganized! LOL

If you woke up this morning, determined to declutter and tidy, this quote is for you.

Have a good day!

Something to think about: TIME MANAGEMENT

“Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.”

                               ~Life’s Little Instruction Book, 

                                 compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

If I want to live a slow, simple life, focusing on things that are important to me, it's all about time management, isn't it?

Eliminating things that take time, but aren't essential, desirable or important...

Completing life's daily “must do” tasks efficiently, rather than letting them gobble up the day...

Creating blocks of time to focus on the things that are truly important...

I need to work on this.

Getting Started: Small Victories

So, January begins... a month of small victories.

Each day, the timer is set (15-20 minutes) and a spot in one room is targeted for decluttering. The goal is not to clean the entire room. Instead, a small, specific spot (most often a horizontal surface) is decluttered and cleaned. One small victory, but a victory all the same. By the end of January, 30 small victories.

As suggested by Joshua Becker (www.becomingminimalist.com), way back at the beginning of his journey in May, 2008, by taking those first, very small steps (decluttering one shelf, cleaning out a single drawer) new habits are established, burn-out is avoided and you keep a positive attitude.

From www.wishbowl.org

Learn To Celebrate The Small Victories!

“Do you reward yourself for your accomplishments?

It is important that we take the time to celebrate even our small victories.

It's time to take a step back and realize that instead of focusing on all that we're not getting done, we should be focusing on all that we are getting done. I call this the Celebrate the Small Victories approach. The intent is to give a little love to yourself for all of the hard work you put into each day. This will make for a much happier existence, boost your self-esteem by placing focus on the positive and likely make you even more productive and energetic as time goes on. You can't lose!

By marking these successes, we make them stick out in our minds. It forces us to acknowledge our progress and increases the likelihood we'll repeat the positive behaviour in the future.”

A Simpler Christmas

Today, the last of the Christmas company left for home. In many ways it was a particularly enjoyable holiday this year.

We really tried to focus on family and friends, visiting others and then enjoying company at our home.

As Chief Organizer in our house, I tried to identify some of the things that are special traditions for our family. I also identified a few things that could be cut and not missed. No complaints received in that department.

The “biggie”, however, was cutting back on the gifts. The adults in our extended family decided to pick names. A price guideline was set and we all submitted our wish lists. To be truthful, I wasn't sure how I'd feel Christmas morning, but it really wasn't a big deal at all.

We also cut out all those little gifts to friends and neighbours. Instead, we let everyone know at the beginning of December that we'd be making a donation instead to our local Santa Claus fund – a group that supports needy families.

All in all, it was a slower, simpler Christmas – felt good!

And tomorrow? The beginning of a month of small victories...

A New Year - Getting Started

A slow, simple life. What exactly is that? For Leo Babauta of Zen Habits, a simple life “means eliminating all but the essential, eschewing chaos for peace, and spending your time doing what’s important to you.”

Read Leo's article, “Simple Living Manifesto: 72 Ideas to Simplify Your Life”. It will start you thinking.

The first suggestion is probably the most crucial – identifying the four or five most important things in your life.

My list?

1. Family and friends

2. Health

3. Learning

4. Creating

5. Contributing

What's most important to you?