By Valerie Green
One of the most consistent and helpful pieces of advice I give organizing clients is to aim for spaces to be 75% full. While it might seem simple, I don’t tend to see this in practice in people’s homes, and it’s critical to success. If a space is 75% full, it’s a lot easier to see and access items. It also helps prevent over-purchasing, as spaces seem fuller than they are (when people get too many or too big items in an area, they usually start putting things from that category somewhere else, and the whole system starts to devolve. One multi-pack of crackers from Costco and the whole snack area is compromised. Extra space = serendipity (note the photo where this cat always finds pleasure in recently vacated spaces)!
This doesn’t mean areas can’t be full–they absolutely can. In those cases when something doesn’t fit, you have a couple of options. One is to remove something (the classic “one in one out” approach). I’m this way with my sneaker collection because I love them, but I’m trying to contain the volume. Another solution is to acknowledge that you need/want more of these items, and see if they can be stored elsewhere, or see if the space can be expanded. I have been known to take over my husband’s shoe shelf (which is underutilized) when I can’t help it and get more sneakers. Sometimes it’s ok to want a lot of sneakers!
The 75% full concept also applies to time management. Buffer time (having time between activities) is an amazing thing and doesn’t have to mean a ton of time. For people with packed schedules, it allows for meetings to run over, prevents stress when you are running late, and gives time just relax and breathe between things. When I used to travel a lot as a consultant, I would consistently get travel anxiety despite decades of experience. When I just allowed myself to get to the airport too early for most people, it changed my whole experience–I actually found the time at the airport (or productive, if I chose!). For people with less-packed schedules it can be a way to feel productive/active without adding a ton of activities to your schedule.
I feel like our focus on efficiency as a culture has compromised our ability to protect buffers. It makes people shove items into cabinets (I call this the “Tokyo subway effect”–no extra space in those train cars during rush hours!) and pack their schedules, in order to maximize space and time. I believe embracing buffer time can shift one’s mindset so that feeling more organized/less stressed trumps efficiency.
I recently learned about the Japanese concept MA which may be summarized as “the space between.” It’s present in a lot of different aspects of Japanese culture, and I think it gives us an idea for how we could operate differently. From the linked article: Where there is clutter, valuables lose value. Where there is too much, nothing stands out. "MA" is like a promise yet to be fulfilled, the emptiness full of possibilities…
One of the most consistent and helpful pieces of advice I give organizing clients is to aim for spaces to be 75% full. While it might seem simple, I don’t tend to see this in practice in people’s homes, and it’s critical to success. If a space is 75% full, it’s a lot easier to see and access items. It also helps prevent over-purchasing, as spaces seem fuller than they are (when people get too many or too big items in an area, they usually start putting things from that category somewhere else, and the whole system starts to devolve. One multi-pack of crackers from Costco and the whole snack area is compromised. Extra space = serendipity (note the photo where this cat always finds pleasure in recently vacated spaces)!
This doesn’t mean areas can’t be full–they absolutely can. In those cases when something doesn’t fit, you have a couple of options. One is to remove something (the classic “one in one out” approach). I’m this way with my sneaker collection because I love them, but I’m trying to contain the volume. Another solution is to acknowledge that you need/want more of these items, and see if they can be stored elsewhere, or see if the space can be expanded. I have been known to take over my husband’s shoe shelf (which is underutilized) when I can’t help it and get more sneakers. Sometimes it’s ok to want a lot of sneakers!
The 75% full concept also applies to time management. Buffer time (having time between activities) is an amazing thing and doesn’t have to mean a ton of time. For people with packed schedules, it allows for meetings to run over, prevents stress when you are running late, and gives time just relax and breathe between things. When I used to travel a lot as a consultant, I would consistently get travel anxiety despite decades of experience. When I just allowed myself to get to the airport too early for most people, it changed my whole experience–I actually found the time at the airport (or productive, if I chose!). For people with less-packed schedules it can be a way to feel productive/active without adding a ton of activities to your schedule.
I feel like our focus on efficiency as a culture has compromised our ability to protect buffers. It makes people shove items into cabinets (I call this the “Tokyo subway effect”–no extra space in those train cars during rush hours!) and pack their schedules, in order to maximize space and time. I believe embracing buffer time can shift one’s mindset so that feeling more organized/less stressed trumps efficiency.
I recently learned about the Japanese concept MA which may be summarized as “the space between.” It’s present in a lot of different aspects of Japanese culture, and I think it gives us an idea for how we could operate differently. From the linked article: Where there is clutter, valuables lose value. Where there is too much, nothing stands out. "MA" is like a promise yet to be fulfilled, the emptiness full of possibilities…