As an organizing consultant, I help my clients take control of their surroundings, their time and their information by designing custom organizing systems for them based on their habits and by teaching them the organizing principles that I have learned over the years. I believe that organizing is both an art (the design) and a science (the principles).
One principle that has been on my mind lately is what I refer to as the Capacity Principle™ or the seventy-five percent rule. Continue reading
There is a tiger out of control in nearly every house in this country. I’m not referring to Barbara Hemphill’s “Paper Tiger” but to the Tupperware tiger. Most kitchens have at least one cabinet devoted entirely to plastic ware commonly referred to as Tupperware®, although it probably has Rubbermaid, Glad®, Ziploc® and other brands mixed in along with a few butter bowls.
In most homes at least once a day someone carefully opens the cabinet door and very gently sifts through the contents, aware that the wrong move will disturb the sleeping tiger, sending it roaring out onto the floor. Replacing an item is even more terrifying. Typically we open the door, pitch the item in, shut the door quickly, and then listen for the sound of settling plastic. Continue reading