Day 5 - Decluttering

And here we are, to the most daunting task of all. But the most rewarding nevertheless:

Decluttering.

There are at least a couple dozen very good books that can help you with decluttering and if you're determined to change your life around, you can even become a minimalist.

There are only benefits to decluttering:

-- It helps you stay organized

-- It increases good mood

-- It frees up time during the day etc.

The now very famous Japanese lady, Marie Kondo, who has become worldwide famous for her decluttering technic, thanks to her best selling book, she even has her own on Netflix.

You either choose to use her method, or use the now famous "Minimalists"`s method: when you move, you don't open a box in your new house unless you reaaally need something. Usually those few things that you open in the course of 3 months are the only things you'll need. Yes, even they are on Netflix (you have a lot of things to watch now eh)

These are the world renowned ways you can start decluttering or minimalising your life, however, there is the third way, you guessed it: The Zero Way.

The Zero Way is based on the Kaizen concept, or, more concretely, on The Toyota Way, with a few twerks which makes it so unique. If you read "Genba Kaizen" by Masaaki Imai, you'll discover some interesting technics that Toyota uses for their manufacturing plants.

One method is called the "Red Tag". Every you go around your working area, be it your studio, your kitchen, your office desk and start putting, well, initially "red tags", but I suggest using 3-4 color post-its, to objects.

You use color coding for things that you:

RED: use every day at least once

YELLOW: use every week regularly

BLUE: use once a month regularly

What you do then is you keep the red tagged objects on your working area (eg on the desk).

The yellow tagged ones you store away in a cupboard or somewhere at reach (eg drawer under desk).

The blue tagged ones you store away on a shelf, box, closet or pantry.

Everything that is not tagged must go away for good. If they don't have a tag on, it means you can probably rent them, borrow them from a neighbor/friend or a sharing service.

The reason why we do this is simple: keep the things you use often at an arm's reach and everything else put away or say sayonara to!

Now, the things that are on your working area especially but also the yellow tagged things, you can go even further as to set a specific place for them and create a "mold", or put a sticker where they should be. You can be funny and make a chalk shape as if they were criminal scenes :P (too gruesome for you? sorry). Every time you finish working with that object, you can put it away safely in their designated area. This way, at the end of your working day, there is no need to even clean up because everything is already in their place.

As shown in the picture above, you can choose a designated day to do the cleaning, especially if things pile up real quick.

Also, on the picture it says "5S", I will tell you about what it means.

The Toyota Way has a system called the 5S:

1) Sort (Seiri)
2) Set in order (Seiton)
3) Shine (Seiso)
4) Standardize (Seiketsu)
5) Sustain/Self-discipline (Shitsuke)

There are roughly the 5 rules that will help you organize anything, keep you sane and ultimately set you free.

1) Sort your things with the MariKon method, the Minimalist method or the Tagging method.

2) Set them in order by putting things where they belong (in arms reach or away).

3) The moment you finish using the objects put them back (don't make excuses, it takes just 1or 2 extra seconds).

4) Standardize everything by setting a designated space.

5) Do a checkup regularly (weekly).

I want to say a few words about self-discipline.

Self-discipline is hard only if you don't understand 2 things:

a) self-discipline reflects your character, shows who you are as a person. So if there is anything you want to protect more than anything, it's your self-discipline. Because if you make it your 1st priority to be self-disciplined on a regular basis, then it will become a habit, a character trait and will come with its share of pleasant surprises: people will respect you more, they will admire you more, they will trust you more.

b) self-discipline is something that you train and perfect. It starts with healthy habits. And like any other habit, "motive and emotion" sets the path. So it is important to know WHY you are doing what you're doing. And to be aware of how you feel about this topic, for self-discipline to actually work.

Remember what I always say?

Think Cycles. Feel Good. Choose Wise. Act Bold. Aim Big. Believe.

Rinse. Repeat.