Leave room for the current task
A useful working surface gives the current task a clear place without making every other object disappear.
The complete index
Notes
Seven readings about keeping everyday objects useful, visible and easy to put away.
Choose a familiar inconvenience from the titles below. Read its three sections, try one change and return after an ordinary day rather than reorganising everything at once.
Pack for a particular journey
A bag is easier to use when its contents describe the next journey rather than every possible future day.
Keep a cable with its purpose
Two similar cables can serve different jobs. A small record of the useful pairing can save repeated trial and error.
Write labels for the next reader
A label works when the person meeting it later can identify the contents without remembering the day it was written.
Give shared objects a return point
A shared object is easier to find when its return point is clear and convenient for everyone who uses it.
Separate current papers from reference
A paper that needs action has a different job from a paper kept for later reference. Giving each a visible place makes both easier to use.
Leave a useful starting point
The end of a session can prepare the beginning of the next one with a short note and a few returned objects.