Has your life grown a little drab? Is your ‘to do list’ unimaginative and bland? Mr. Sketch to the rescue! For those of us whose color-coding system for calendars, appointments and grocery lists has become a bit mundane, Mr. Sketch introduces colorful, SCENTED markers guaranteed to spice up even the most vanilla of post-it notes.

Now, when I get up early and stumble to my home office with my first cup of coffee, I can organize my day by SMELL! Morning appointments are cherry, afternoon calls are licorice. From melon to mango, Mr. Sketch makes it possible for me to plan my entire schedule without even opening my eyes! Ok. Perhaps that’s stretching it.

For the more practical among us, Mr. Sketch’s scented markers provide an outstanding way to capture the attention of co-worker, students, and family members! Not only are theynon-toxic and brilliantly colored, they pack an extra punch! Since scent is one of the brain’s most powerful memory tools, Mr. Sketch promises to stimulate the olfactory bulbs of everyone around you.

Oh. And did I mention how much fun they are?

Do you love Mr. Sketch too? How do you use these in your home office?

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Two monitors?

I always thought that one computer monitor was sufficient until I worked in an office that had all the computers set up with two, side-by-side.

image source: computershopper.com

Just like the picture — except without the creepy staring eyes. You get the idea, right?

Why it’s useful

One of the limitations of a single monitor is that switching between documents or programs is challenging without getting the tabs all confoozled. In the real world of paper we hold documents side by side to compare them, to switch between them easily. Imagine trying to balance your checkbook with the bank statement directly underneath it. It’s confining. It’s not efficient.

Spreading stuff out, especially for visual creative types, makes information easier to process. Having two monitors allows you to duplicate this spaciousness in your computing.

In case you’d like to do this weekend project, this great how-to video from cnet walks you through the process step-by-step and tells you want equipment you’d need to make the switch.

Have you tried this? What do you think?

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Everyday Organizing Genius

Creative people can be organized! In this feature, learn about the simple genius organizing ideas that everyday entrepreneurs use… And get a sneak peek at what their home office looks like!

Lea Shulman, Interior Designer

1.What about your career do you find most fulfilling?

I have to say the most fulfilling thing I find about being a designer is that each project is never the same.  It’s like having a blank piece of paper and a box of crayons when I get started with a new client.  I get to do what I love for a living.  That in itself is very fulfilling!

2.What was it like going from a design firm to a home office?  What were your concerns about running your own business from home?

Honestly the transition has been a little difficult, but now that I am in a groove (nearly) I really love it. My previous employers gave me a lot of freedom and flexibility, so it is nice to have even more of that. But working in a house that I share with two small kids and a husband is very distracting sometimes.  It’s hard to keep away from the dishes in the sink and the mountain of laundry piling up!

For me, the major concern is about time-management and work/family balance.  I was already in a life-transition when I left my previous employer.  My family was growing.  It wasn’t until recently that I accepted there isn’t enough time in my life for everything.  So I only take on the projects I can handle, and every morning I look at my list of things to do and choose what is realistically going to get done.

3.Talk about your workspace set up.  What changes did you make in order to make it feel professional to you?

The first thing I did was measure and lay out my space!  Then I designed a storage unit that I was lucky enough to have my father build.   I ordered a HUGE desk from Target that is stylish and can accommodate my drawing board.   Good, stylish organization makes me happy, from the pens in their fancy glass tumblers to the colored folders and all the pretty baskets and bins for samples.  I find it much easier to use binders instead of filing folders so I have a lot of important information right there on the bookshelf when I need it.  No digging in the file cabinet for my tax information or purchase orders and notes!  I must have a clear space to work so I can be creative.  I never got around to painting or doing the window treatments that I wanted (designers are famous for never finishing their own spaces!) but it’s a great little space where I can be productive.

4. Did you have to establish any emotional/energetic boundaries with your family?  What were they?

I share my office with two things:  My husband and the laundry sorter!  My husband needs a quiet, clear area where he can make calls to clients when he is home, or have a place to work on days when he is not in the city.  I’m lucky – he understands that our office is really my headquarters.  I was very firm in setting the family parameters:  There will be no toys or other various household items stored in our home office!   I need spur-of-the-moment access to a working , grown-up and private space if I need to take a quick call, or the baby surprises me with a nap and I can unexpectedly get something done for Lea Shulman Interiors.   I’m even getting used to ignoring the lurking laundry sorter when I’m working!
What plans are ahead for your business?

I’m very excited to be starting a new project in the next couple of weeks.  I’m designing the renovation of a Brooklyn, NY production studio. The owners have been running their business from a small bedroom in their brownstone for a few years now.  The basement of their brownstone was once a dentist’s office and I’ll be designing a funky loft-style, complete renovation for their new “home-office.” I’m thrilled to be working for another young, home-based entrepreneurial family

Lea Shulman founded her company to obtain balance between the high quality work she became accustomed to providing to her clients and the desire to raise happy children and have a great home life. Lea Shulman Interiors was founded in 2008 after working in the design industry for almost fifteen years. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Interior Design and has a diverse background that includes work as an in-house kitchen consultant and interior designer with a custom home builder in Greenwich, CT.

Lea has been published both individually and in collaborative projects in publications such as Kitchen & Bath Ideas, The Bridal Guide, and Better Homes and Gardens.  She has also been featured on local charity kitchen tours in Connecticut and been published in industry trade catalogs.

Care to comment?

I’m a corner-cutter.

Always have been. I’ve been cutting corners since the pink-dawned day in my childhood when I realized that the world wouldn’t ever value my imagination as much as productivity. Yet in my heart, there’s still a fanciful, wacky, tulle-skirted ballerina who need to be fed. Here’s my story of why cutting corners helps.

Corner-cutting is what I call the skill I’ve developed to do just enough to get by, but not poorly enough to arouse any suspicion. Sometimes it works, sometimes it fails miserably, painfully and publically. I sometimes wonder how much better things would be if I went whole hog and did everything at 100%. Could I pull it off? If you have ADD or know someone who does, you know that painful refrain, “If you would just apply yourself…” The very idea of going at 100% all the time sounds exhausting, but that doesn’t stop lots of people who try.

What corner-cutting looks like

In my early years, corner-cutting was something I did to get through uncomfortable, boring situations. At school, I’d wow my teachers with my vocabulary and my sense of humor, hoping that they’d care less about the homework I’d forgotten to complete (which worked with varying degrees of success). At home, I’d get my bedroom clean enough to pass the Mom Test, concealing lumps of clothing and detritus in drawers and under stuffed animals. A a child, the only thing I did at 100% was play.

As an adult, I’ve learned to cut corners on everything from timely bill paying, to meal preparation, to paid presentations. The older I’ve become, the more skilled I am at doing just enough to get by. I take out the garbage at the last minute before the truck rolls through. I only vacuum when company is coming (or when it’s annoying me).  I market my business when I have something to sell, and less frequently when I don’t. Admitting to this rouses all kinds of shame in me. It’s similar to the shame my clients feel when they work up the courage to show me photos of their home offices. 

The reason we do it

With so much on our plates, something has to give. The thing I choose to give away, to release is perfection. For most of us, there’s no enjoyment in that release, just shame swaddled in guilt to be hidden away. We forget that we’re surrounded by messages that perfection (perfect floors, home, kids, fashion) is the only viable option. So, choosing to abandon of the Perfection Dream isn’t something we’re encouraged to go public with.

Living in a culture where everything is buffed to a polished patina, where is there room for human-ness? Where is there permission to just be?

Another way of looking at it

When I step off the Perfection Train, when I admit that there is more in life than I will ever do — and so little of it done perfectly – corner cutting becomes a kind of renegade act of resistance. Choosing to let myself off the proverbial hook, to cut corners, is a radical act of self-kindness. When you lower your standards to healthy levels, it’s amazing what you can do — and do well. You are free from the oppressiveness of perfection, to act from enthusiasm instead of guilt and dread.

What’s more, going public with your humanness is a statement to others they can do the same, that it’s safe to be good enough. Can you imagine a world in which every member believed they were wonderful the way they are? You might resist this idea, fearing a lack of excellence or effort. But truly, when a person is celebrated as they are, that is the moment when transformation and innovation become possible.

What does this have to do with office organizing?

I know – sometimes I get really big picture on you, but there is a connection.

If you’re ashamed of how your space looks today… or you feel guilty that you’re not keeping up your business the way you think you should, this dumps a daily dose of feelings that thwart your efforts. Deciding for yourself what your standards are can make a world of difference in your workspace, work flow, profitability, and more. Think about it. When was the last time you didn’t feel stressed out? Wouldn’t you benefit from a release of pressure?

Cut some corners and find relief

Seriously, what is so great about a perfect 90* corner? I’m of the opinion that a rounded corner is more pleasing and easier to navigate. Cut some corners off the hard edges of life — here are three suggestions that can help you move forward:

1. Acknowledge that you’re human. Consider that being a human implies certain limits of energy, mental capacity, and productivity. There is only so much you can do in a day. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s just true.

2. Give yourself permission to do something well enough. The next time you encounter something hard, give some thought to whether you can make it easier on yourself. Let completion be your goal, rather than perfection. Celebrate the small steps.

3. Find out what it is that you do at 100% when no one is watching. When I was a kid, it was play. As an adult, it’s singing and teaching and (dare I admit this?)  creating art. Make time in your life to do more of that thing, even if (especially if) you do it imperfectly. The world needs your humanness and imperfection. Truly, “the woods would be very silent if the only birds who sang were the ones who sang best.” ~ Henry Van Dyke

Much love,

Jennifer

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The costs and opportunities of life in the fast lane

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Take a moment right now to take stock of everything you need to do today. What’s on your list? If you’re like most creative people, it’s long. Would it be an understatement to call it  overwhelming?

Creative people are optimists – which is why we write to-do lists that are far longer than we can humanly accomplish. We are pretty good at denying reality and trying to pack it all in anyway.

When faced with a ton of things to do, most people try to solve the “not enough time” problem by hurrying. If we hurry, we reason, we can get everything done. In hurry mode, I imagine I look like a little time-elapse robot doing everything faster: working, reading email, brushing teeth, eating, walking, driving (eek!) – even talking with loved ones.

Not only do we speed up to fit more in, we cut corners. When I’m hurried I check out during conversations, skip flossing, disregard traffic rules. I know it’s not a good thing to do, but I’m in a hurry. Right?

Busy isn’t a virtue

Being busy is habit-forming. Once you start speeding up, it’s very hard to shut it off. We zip from one thing to the next without noticing how unsatisfying it feels. Even if we want slow down, we live in a culture that applauds a schedule that’s packed solid from dawn to bedtime. We’re pressured into doing more in less time. Ask anyone how they’re doing today, and practically no one says “fine” anymore. Everyone says “busy.”

But is busy what we’re really craving?

When I ask my clients how they want to feel ideally when they’re working, they say things like: calm, peaceful, open, connected, inspired, and alive. Sounds so appealing! That’s because we’re really not striving to feel more overwhelmed and short on time. Even if we end up getting stressed out, most people seek something more sustaining.

Busy is a choice

Being busy is an addiction that’s is challenging to recover from. Adrenaline and cortisol are hormones your body releases in response to stress. When we’re under stress, they motivate us.

Is fast useful sometimes? Sure! Back in the days of the Pony Express, a horse would be ridden at full gallop to get the mail delivered in an unprecedented amount of time (10 whole days – can you imagine?). At each checkpoint, the rider would switch to a fresh horse. Most of us know too well what it’s like for the horse who’s left behind. He collapses. It takes him days to recover. Like those ponies, we can only run at top speed for so long before we run our of energy – not to mention attention and patience.

Being busy, over-committed, and sped up don’t seem like a healthy choice for anyone (including those poor horses), but we do it every day. There’s no need to judge yourself, but waking up to it – and the consequences it has on your life – is the best place to start making a change for the better. And calmer.

The price of being in a hurry

While it can be interesting and even fun to have a life that’s packed solid, being hurried for too long can take a toll on your short-term memory, your sense of well-being, and your ability to react to small frustrations reasonably. I speak from personal experience — when I feel worried and slightly ticked-off — these are signs that my life is over-full.

Here’s the thing: when you’re at capacity, there’s nowhere for extra stress to spill. It just splashes over onto everyone and everything. You talk faster. You try to work faster. When something goes wrong, it feels catastrophic, even when you know in your head that it isn’t that big a deal. Life needs some room in it when the unexpected pops up – so when we fail to create that, we run around feeling tense and leaking this bad energy to those around us.

The other impact of being busy for too long is that people are more likely to get sick. It’s almost as if getting sick is the only way to slow the body down enough to catch one’s breath. Sometimes it’s a bad headache, or an upset digestive system. Other times it’s a full-blown virus. Your immune system just can’t keep up.

The greatest loss in being speedy is that we stop enjoying even things we love to do: enjoying delicious meals with friends, a favorite hobby, watching the kids play soccer, stroking a pet, kissing our special someone, day dreaming… We’re so busy trying to rush, to fit in one more thing, that we stop being present. We do things on automatic — meanwhile worrying about how much time it’s taking.

Busy-ness makes us lose our ability to enjoy life’s simplest pleasures.

There must be another way.

Life is for living, not running around, feathers flying, hoping the sky doesn’t fall. There’s more to your life than more. Creating balance sometimes means having less and doing less so you have room for what you crave. If you’ve been putting off a vacation, or a beloved creative outlet, or quality time with loved ones, look inward.

If you revisit your list of today’s to-dos, you might notice as you glance down the list that some of the items induce stress or dread in you. There are usually the “urgent and important” things we make time for no matter what. Beyond those you may find some other items that are interesting, compelling, and enjoyable. These are the activities most people have a harder time getting to.

Things to try:

1. Take a little time to notice what impact being over-full and in a hurry has on you, your dreams, and those you love. Do you feel satisfied?

2. Ask yourself: Is there something else you’re craving? If so, what do you really need? Trust whatever answers come up for you.

3. Notice whether there’s anything you’d consider letting go of that would add to you sense of satisfaction.

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During a recent class, we discussed how important it is to celebrate your accomplishments (big and small) before moving onto the next task. Celebration creates energy. A fun discussion about energy, fuel, cars and organizing ensued. I invited two of the participants, both named Sarah, to write about their perspective on the topic. Enjoy!

Part 1:

Sarah Tieck, guest blogger

My Toyota Corolla’s fuel gauge says there is a quarter tank of gas left. Noticing that, I added a stop at the gas station to my list of errands. Simple as that. There was no agonizing about if I should stop for gas or where. No cursing that I have to monitor my car’s fuel and maintenance needs. No weeping because my tank has gotten low. There is no question. I will stop and refuel — if I don’t, in time the car won’t work.

Lately I’ve been running on fumes. No, I don’t have a magical gauge, but I knew. All I needed to do was look around. There were pizza and take-out boxes in the garbage can, dishes in the sink, four timesheets where I’d logged into work well after my official start time, and a general feeling of being stuck with no clear steps forward on several projects.

As a creative person who has been steadily working and meeting deadlines, but rarely taking time to replenish and refuel after these journeys, my tank is low low low. And, I’m having to stop more often to refuel — sort of like those times when you only fill up partially at the gas station. In order to create, to do good work, and to savor my life, I’m having to learn how to fuel up. Interesting that the theme I’ve chosen for this year is nourish.

Celebration is a form of nourishment. Many people wait for completion to do this — and even then, barely stop to acknowledge what has been completed and put away supplies and papers. Little do we realize that little celebrations — nourishment — along the way are important fuel to keeping moving with big goals … sort of like fueling your car on a long trip.

To refuel by celebrating, you don’t need to do anything huge. You simply need to find a way to pause and take some time for an experience that will strengthen and energize you. That gives you ideas and images to draw from and fuel your work. It honors what you’ve done. Those important baby steps.

So, when you feel like you could keep going … stopping to play, to workout, to connect, to savor can all be forms of nourishment that will add  fuel to your tank. Things like workouts and fun offer a big boost for a goal — they create movement, energy, and excitement. And, that transfers. That candy bar and diet soda? As temporary as a jump for a dead battery.

Last week, I nourished a writing deadline with a bike ride and some geocaching with my husband. We played in the woods and the next day, I finished the book I was writing. When I take time to fill myself up like this — even when it seems counterintuitive — the things I want (and need) to do are easier! That weekend, I spent some time relaxing on the couch, saw Letters to Juliet, had an evening out with some friends who make me smile. You know what? Even though I rested and filled up first, the dishes and vacuuming and errands got done. And, that Monday morning, I returned to work with a tank full of fuel — as well as the fuel of my vision of what I want to create — to help me move forward.

Part 2:

Sarah DeWeerdt, Guest blogger

When Sarah likened needing to stop and replenish one’s energy to filling up the gas tank of a car, my immediate impulse was to wish I were a Prius. Imagine: speeding down the road in productive, virtuous near-silence, able to travel twice as far between fill-ups as all those other jalopies.

But the truth is, if I were a Prius, I’d just wish I were a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle. And if I were a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, I’d wish I were…some kind of zero-emissions flying car thingy that hasn’t even been invented yet.

I’m hardly ever satisfied with the distance I’ve traveled. But maybe slowing down and refueling is actually part of the excitement. I mean, if I didn’t have to stop for a fill-up, I wouldn’t have the opportunity to notice the precise latitude where gas station convenience stores stop selling Dr. Pepper and start selling Mr. Pibb. I wouldn’t get to chuckle over those crazy souvenir snow globes filled with dinosaur teeth. I’d miss seeing, while paying for my gas, that family walk into the store straight from the pages of a Flannery O’Connor short story.

For me, this need to go faster and farther without stopping, ignoring the lurid red “E” on the dashboard, doesn’t just pose a problem when I’m trying to clear clutter and organize—it’s actually the source of my clutter. That is, there are so many interesting and amazing things in the world that I’m tempted to hold on to every interesting newspaper clipping, each scrap of vintage lace, out of the conviction that I’ll do something with it someday.

But I won’t. Because the body is a vehicle that craves rest, and one that can only travel so far. That’s been one of the most surprising and unsettling lessons of Jen’s class so far: confronting my clutter is, in effect, confronting my own mortality.

That epiphany isn’t a wholly gloomy one, though. With practice, I’m starting to recognize the difference between things that are merely interesting and things that make my brain light up with neurons firing in a thousand directions. (I swear it’s a literal scalp-tingling sensation.) I’m letting go of the former category so that I’ll have more attention for the latter. So that next time I pull off the highway into that gas station, I’ll be able to chuckle at that snow globe and leave it on the shelf, and fix the precise image of that Southern gothic family in my mind, because they are going to make one hell of a poem or painting later. Just you wait and see.

Sarah Tieck has authored more than 36 nonfiction books for children and teaches writing classes at the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis. Her articles and essays appear regularly in home and garden magazines, lifestyle magazines, and major daily newspapers such as the Star Tribune and the Chicago Tribune. Contact her at her Web site, www.sarahtieck.com.

Sarah DeWeerdt is a freelance writer and editor in Seattle, Washington. Read her science writing via sarahdeweerdt.blogspot.com and her recipes at smalltastes.blogspot.com.

Can you relate? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!

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Leah Piken Kolidas

Website: www.bluetreeartgallery.com
Blog: www.creativeeveryday.com

What she does: Leah is an artist who sells her originals and prints, and teaches others how to use their creativity.

What she loves best about her office: The light, the views of trees

How her office helps her: It’s still new to her, but in her new space she notices that she sees lots more possibility in her business.

Leah’s everyday genius idea: She creates a visual to-do list in her sketch book, drawing images that go along with the items on her to-do list.

Listen to the recording (13 minutes)

Genius quote:

“Doodling helps people people absorb information and think.”
- Leah Piken Kolidas

Care to comment?

Can you feel it?

Autumn is falling around us. We’re entering the final quarter of the year as of September 22 (vernal equinox) – and entering the season of wrapping-up. Reaping. Closure.

Granted, closure can happen any time of the year. But there’s something about the cool nights, longer shadows, and turning leaves that puts me in a mind to notice the pull of endings.

Creating closure

When you’re creative, learning to integrate the rhythms of closure can bring more depth and sustainability to your work. Allowing yourself to mindfully end a project helps you reap the lessons and celebrate the significance of your work.

Personally, I have a hard time with this. I forget. I find the creating (springtime) part of the process so invigorating, I sometimes leap in headlong without looking back. Not only does that leave piles of unfinished residue in my wake, it deprives me of the opportunity to honor my discoveries and the path I took to get where I am now.

Harvest

It’s fall 2009. At the moment, I’m bringing closure to:

• the belief that I have to run my business all by myself
• an existence without health insurance
• my Dream Office/Wish Kit class
• the content of my old 2008 Inspired Organizing program
• working 72 hours per week while withholding self-nourishment

I feel a mix of things as I notice where I’m inviting closure. I feel a few pangs. I’m moving toward good things, but it’s so powerful to notice where I’ve been.

Celebration

The other part of this process is acknowledgment and celebration. Although Thanksgiving isn’t for a while yet, gratitude doesn’t have to be reserved for one day in November.

In this season of closure and harvest, I’m celebrating past and recent accomplishments like…

• asking for and receiving a pay increase at my part-time job
• filling my upcoming Inspired Organizing class with 11 (12?) amazing women
• deepening several friendships and finding support there for my heart
• gaining clarity about my spiritual path
• making conscious, significant strides toward paying down my debt

I suppose there are some who prefer to stay in perpetual creating mode – forever summer – and resist the pull of reflection. I certainly do sometimes.

I invite you to notice – and share if you like -

• What’s ending in your work and life right now?
• What are you harvesting that is worthy of acknowledgment?

6 comments

Beauty isn’t just for the rich and famous

You might have wondered what on earth art is doing in the middle of a newsletter about organizing. Technically nothing. Nothing, that is, if your goal is to have nothing more than a meticulously, painfully spotless workspace.

If you want a workspace that inspires you, though, beauty is of tremendous creative and energetic value.

A good example of functional beauty

Since several readers asked, I’m coming clean about the about the blue rose wallpaper in my office mentioned in the last newsletter.

Really (no offense intended to my landlord), the stuff is horrid. The pattern is blue-on-blue clusters of roses that stagger up the wall in diagonal lines. The paper was hung so the rose bunch patterns don’t line up at the edges. When we first looked at the house I said, “That’s got to go.”

Chances are good that you have something like this in your house. A bad view, dark paneling, odd colors. Whatever it is, after a while it becomes invisible. Sort of.

“Making do”

Let’s not get into why I tolerate the wallpaper. We all have projects that don’t get done – me included.

Here’s the secret that helps me tolerate the crazy rose wallpaper: I have a lot of beauty around me.

Outside my window is a garden view. On the walls I’ve displayed inspirational collages that mean a lot to me and evoke good feelings when I look at them. There’s lots of natural light. One day, I’m even going to buy one of these to add a feeling of serenity and calm in my office (and I’ve told her so).

The beauty I’ve created in my space balances out the wallpaper. That’s the secret.

The other secret: clutter’s not always The Problem

I’ve done many 1-on-1 sessions with people who want to deal with clutter “once and for all” in their session. Instead, they end up excited to create beauty and inspiration around them. They find that even if clutter remains, the space they work in becomes more pleasant and enjoyable to work in.

Beauty might sound superficial. I used to think so myself. But when there’s beauty in your space, it balances out chaos and clutter. Beauty feeds the spirit and creates a container that nourishes your heart.

It’s in your budget

Most people resist creating beauty in their space because they assume it’s expensive. We assume it must look like a designer did it and is ready for the cover of House Beautiful. If you believe this, think again.

Beauty is by your definition alone. You are your own authority on what is beautiful to you. Not Martha F. Not your mother in law. Not Pottery Barn. Beauty is defined by what you love.

Love pink? Buy a gallon of paint for $18.Love flowers? Cut some from the yard.

Want inspiration? Post images you love on your walls or collect magazines and make inspiring collages. Many of the artists I feature offer prints of their work, making their beauty accessible to many.

Beauty doesn’t need to be complicated or expensive – it’s there to nourish you and make you feel loved.

And aren’t you worth it?

As I’ve said time and again, you matter. Your work matters. When you create a space that nourishes you, your creativity and productivity flow. You have more fun. You like going into your space to work.

If you’re still not convinced that beauty matters, remember that there are people in the world who are waiting for you to show up. People who need your special gift and the way that you share it.

Having a space that nourishes you (with its beauty and inspiration), gives you the energetic resources you need to reach the people (and organizations, animals, and planet) that need you most.

Beauty is fuel.

My plea/challenge

If time were no object, think for a moment about one thing you would do to bring beauty into your space.

It could be as simple as adding a cool, shimmering glass of water or as complex as ripping down all the wallpaper.

Just reflect for a moment about one thing that would nourish you.

And, in the next two weeks, commit to taking one step toward creating it. When you do, let me know. I’d love to know what happens.

Care to comment?

The upside of piles and why your brain likes them so much.

Maybe you loved taking human biology in school – maybe you hated it. I was a fan, myself, until we reached the chapter about the brain.

The stomach? Got it.

The heart and lungs? Got it.

The filtering liver – a little mysterious – though comprehensible. But, to me, the human brain was a gray globby thing that made no sense at all.

The problem? The aforementioned “globby” part. I couldn’t see the mechanics. Studying neuron cell diagrams didn’t help one bit. I just couldn’t wrap my brain around how that tofu-like mass could made my body move, see, or think.

Now that I’m a more patient grown-up, I’ve dedicated myself to learning about the brain to include in my work. At Inspired Home Office, of course, we talk a lot about the brain since it has such a profound impact on how you concentrate (or not) and how you organize your stuff.

Ready for some nerdy stuff?

Some research circa-1970, discovered specific neurons in your brain that process the edges of objects. Object edges? Crazy. There are, in fact, even neurons that respond to the distance between and the movement of object edges, too.

Uneducated, but my guess is that this edge-noticing neuron helped our ancestors visually track prey and predators.

Even if you’re not hunting buffalo or running from an angry mastodon, this research is relevant to organizing your workspace.

Edges in your office

Take a good look around your workspace, and I’ll bet you’ll find object edges everywhere.

Your computer screen has them. Papers have them. Books, files, pens – you name it. It stands to reason that the more edges your brain has to process, the more likely you and your brain might get overwhelmed. All those edges!

Lumps

A lot of creative people, including many of my clients, like lumps. Compared to lots of scattered papers, for example, lumps of papers are soothing. Scattered papers have tons of edges. A lump, by contrast, only has one set of edges.

See where I’m going with this?

If you pile stuff together, you’re actually giving your edge-processing neurons a break. How cool is that?

The trouble starts when you can’t find what you need in your lumps. You can’t always see what’s in your lumps because, well, they’re in a lump!

Helpful lumps and woozles

With apologies to Christopher Robin and Pooh, if you like to lump, you can put your things into helpful lumps:

• Helpful lumps allow you to see things and not forget about them
• Helpful lumps allow you to mentally process as few edges as possible
• Helpful lumps take up less space than a regular lump

My favorite kind of helpful lump looks like this:

This type of stair-step file holder has a small footprint on your desk, but allows you to see everything at once. (URL added to photos for your convenience – I’m not a vendor for the companies that carry these products.)

Incidentally, I’m not crazy about the folders with clasps (in photo) since they’re hard to get into. But the black wire thing is awesome.

Other helpful lumps can look like this (Notice the lack of a lid? Definitely a good thing.):

Or this…

Mine?

Okay, I’ll show you. It looks like this:

Client files were removed for privacy – I’m not that neat. Oh, and don’t talk to me about the wallpaper. It’s a project, trust me.

Other ideas? Your helpful lumps don’t have to live in a folder. I worked with a client recently who was thinking about putting up shelves and giving each project its own basket on the shelf, like a little nest for each idea to incubate in.

Be creative with making more helpful lumps. Trust what you need.

Things to try

Do you have a bunch of randomly sorted items that make your brain process edges?

Play with putting them into helpful lumps using the examples above and see what happens. It can be surprisingly fun!

Care to comment?