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CONTENTSLesson 1: Introduction: Rapid Environment Change Vs. Kankyo KaizenLesson 2: De-Cluttering Lesson 3: OrganizationLesson 4: Aesthetics and Interior DesignLesson 5: An Eye for DetailsThe Next 11 Days

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LESSON ONEIntroduction - Rapid Environment Change Vs. Kankyo Kaizen

Joey Arak, reporter for the real estate blog Curbed, moved to the hip Murray Hill neighborhood of lower Manhattan after tiring of the crime he witnessed in Harlem.

After moving in, one night at 1am he heard a loud banging across the hall. Through his peephole he noticed someone trying to break in to his neighbor’s apartment.

After the burglar got inside, Joey ran up to the superintendent’s apartment in a panic and asked him to call the police.

“No, that’s just [name redacted]. She’s got so much crap in her apartment that she has to tackle the door open just to get in.”

Hoarding has reached near epidemic proportions in the United States. According to a survey conducted by Los Angeles Times, over one in 20 people in the U.S. are known to be hoarders. That’s the number of known hoarders. The actual statistics may be much higher than that.

And while only one in 20 may be hoarders, most everyone else we meet is generally unhappy with the aesthetic and organizational state of their living space.

We all want that archetypal minimalist space worthy of a feature in Architectural Digest, but very few of us live in one.

Why is that? Even though it’s common knowledge that a clean and organized living space will increase your mental and physical well-being, and can improve your social and love life, many of us are apathetic about doing anything to change the situation.

When asked why, we might answer that we don’t have the time or money to make these changes. Surely a stylish and well-organized living space requires thousands of dollars and a month-long vacation from work.

And once the house is made-over surely it will be so difficult to maintain that it will bounce back to its natural state of disarray in a few weeks. So what’s the point of trying to change it?

http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2011/01/18/confessions_of_a_hoarders_neighbor_six_years_of_complaining.php


The fact is, none of these assumptions are true. There are solutions to all of these problems, but the trouble is, most people just don’t know them.

Let’s take a look at each one …

Myth #1: Home Makeovers are Expensive

Truth: There are a great many low-cost shortcuts to a cleaner and better-organized home, and the process of making over your house can actually give you a net cash gain.

In 2005 Canadian blogger Kyle McDonald set out to see if he could “trade up” a single red paper clip until he got something really big. “Like a house. Or an island. Or a house on an island.”

A trade up capitalizes on the varying perception humans have about the value of things. “One man’s junk is another man’s treasure” as the old adage goes.

Kyle posted on his blog what his intentions were and said he’d personally visit anyone who offered a valid trade.

He traded his paperclip for a fish-shaped pen from a man in Vancouver.

He then traded that pen for a hand-sculpted doorknob. And so on …

His final trade was a role in a move for a two-story home in Saskatchewan.

What’s the point?

People want your stuff. And many of them will give you more for it than you might think.

Putting your individual items up on eBay (with a minimum reserve if you don’t want to let them go for too-little) could net you more money than you spend on your entire living space turnaround project.

Too time consuming? No problem …

eBay has a virtual army of “trading assistants” who will take the time to list and sell your stuff for a percentage of the action.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/5167388.stm

http://pages.ebay.com/tahub/index.html


And if you’re the kind of person who is averse to making money, think of it this way: selling your stuff on eBay is good for the environment. When you sell something already made, you just lowered the demand for the production of something unnecessary. Plus you’re helping someone out in need who may not be able to afford the full cost of a brand new version of whatever it is you’re selling.

OK, maybe your eBay trades won’t bank you enough for a makeover project overseen by an interior designer.

Still no problem. There are many low-cost methods for organizing your home, some of them priced to fit any budget.

Take the bathroom for example. Even though there are a great many low-cost bathroom organizational tools available, there are even lower-budget options available to anyone with a few basic tools and the willingness to take a quick trip to the hardware store.

For example, with a little bit of PVC pipe (which by the way your local hardware store will cut for you for free if you ask) and some Velcro, you can create cool hangers for your bathroom appliances for almost nothing.

And how about this … With the help of a rotary tool and a wood cutting bit that you can pick up for 25 bucks, you can cut toothbrush hanging notches into your existing wooden shelves, saving space and the money you’d spend on a toothbrush hanger.

Now, what if you don’t want to put your stuff up on eBay? Will you have to pay for someone to haul your junk away?

Not necessarily … there are many charitable organizations like the Goodwill who will pick much of your junk up for free. And 84% of the money made by the Goodwill goes to employment and training programs for the underprivileged.

Options like this abound and we’ll show you the most powerful of them over the next few days.

Myth #2: Home Makeovers Take Months

Truth: The slowest part of a home makeover is the indecision of the owner - and there proven methods for short-circuiting indecision

http://www.organizeit.com/top_bath.asp

http://www.potterybarn.com/shop/bath/bath-storage/?cm_type=gnav

http://www.potterybarn.com/shop/bath/bath-storage/?cm_type=gnav

http://www.familyhandyman.com/DIY-Projects/Home-Organization/Bathroom-Storage/diy-bathroom-storage#step6

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=rotary+tool&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=5281981676484502457&sa=X&ei=xRC2Ttu0Ka3SiALZheBb&ved=0CJcBEPMCMAM

http://www.donationtown.org/donation-pick-up.html


“Maybe I’ll need this someday.”

Ah yes, the refrain of the hoarder.

Sound familiar?

Most of us maybe-I’ll-need-this-some-day ourselves to oblivion.

Our piles of stuff just keep getting bigger and bigger.

Why? Indecision. You can’t decide whether or not you really need it.

In Day 1 of the process, we’re going to walk you through rapid-fire techniques that trick your brain into rapid decision-making and shortcuts for radically changing the state of your home.

You’ll be surprised by how much happens in just one day. By the end, you won’t recognize your place and you won’t have to spend much money, or even any money at all, if you don’t want to.

Myth #3: I Have Way to Much Stuff to be Any Hope

Truth: You don’t have to hold on to everything, and there are many clever ways to get far more mileage out of the space you do have

By the end of this process you’ll end up with far less stuff than you think, but let’s put your mind at ease in case you’re still worried about not having enough space.

You’ve probably seen vacuum storage bags advertised on TV.

They really do work and will double or triple the amount of space you have to store clothes, towels, and blankets.

But did you know that many people use alternatives like simple 20 gallon zip lock big bags and their home vacuum cleaner for the same result at a far lower price?

And how about this?

For 20 bucks you can but a linen over-the-door shoe organizer that fits 24 pairs of shoes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvgN5gCuLac

http://www.tradepoint.net.au/Space_Bag/spacebags.htm


Still not impressed?

What about turning that massive stack of DVDs cluttering up your living room into a single entry on your bookshelf? This low-cost 320 CD/DVD wallet will do the trick.

Are you getting the idea?

With so many surprising and clever ways to maximize your space, there’s nothing to fear.

Myth #4: Home Makeovers Don’t Stick

Truth: They generally don’t, but if you begin a practice of Kankyo Kaizen they will

At the end of World War II General Douglas MacArthur was tasked with helping Japan get back on their feet.

He soon discovered that Japan had a reputation problem. “Made in Japan” was synonymous with shoddy manufacturing.

So, he invited the greatest quality expert alive to come over and revolutionize Japan’s auto industry: Yale Mathematical Physicist, Dr. W. Edwards Deming.

Spurned by the arrogant auto makers in Detroit, Deming was eager to find companies receptive to his radical ideas.

Turn the clock ahead 60 years and Japan is now recognized as not only one of the largest producers of automobiles in the world, their manufacturing is generally recognized as the best in the world as well.

The principles Deming taught Japanese automakers, later known as “Lean Manufacturing”, have impacted nearly every industry on the planet.

Perhaps the most important of all Lean principles is kaizen. Kaizen is Japanese for “constant gradual improvement.”

Recognizing that people sometimes resist rapid change, and that rapid change often results in bounce-backs to the pre-change state, Kaizen offers a clever alternative.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00025HIO4/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B00005ATMD&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0XB4WMN21Q21J44VRSV3


The paradox of kaizen is that these changes, will subtle and tiny, add up to massive improvements over time.

Kankyo Kaizen is the practice small gradual improvements to your environment to not only change the appearance of your space, but also influence your behavior as well.

For example, tiny changes to the positioning of the food in your house, can greatly impact whether or not you are likely to stick with your diet plan. Tiny changes to your bedroom can greatly impact the quality of your sleep. Tiny changes in your living room can greatly impact how you spend your free time. And more ...

At the end of this process, we’ll show you how to establish a simple Kankyo Kaizen program in your home that will make these changes stick, will keep improving on them, and will even change the behavior of you and those you live with.

Finally, if all of this sounds overwhelming, we’ve got you covered.

As with any Simpleology course, it includes a step by step checklist to walk you through the process.

If you’re confused, just do the next step in the plan.

In the next lessons we’ll show you rapid-fire techniques for de-cluttering, simplified systems that make home organization painless, low-cost methods for greatly improving the appearance of your home, and surprising finishing touches like techniques for hiding wires and other eye-sores.


LESSON TWODe-Cluttering

None of us want to live in a cluttered space, yet most of us do.

Most days we begin with the intention of not living like such slobs. From time to time we even make Hercu-lean efforts to clean it all up once and for all. Yet, most of these efforts are unsuccessful.

Why is that?

Before we explain the root cause of this phenomenon, and show you the two simple processes we’ll be using over the next few days to eradicate it, let’s explore why it’s so important you complete this process im-mediately.

We all know that clutter is ugly and that, for better or worse, people judge us not only on our personal ap-pearance, but on the appearance of our living space.

But did you know that clutter is actually bad for your brain?

Among the growing body of evidence to support the notion that our environment affects our behavior is the following. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, excessive clutter in the visual field slows down the brains responsiveness by overloading our visual centers limited ability to take in information …

OK, one more time in layman’s terms. Imagine that your brain is like a desktop computer. If you have many windows open in your computer, it begins to slow down and finally crashes. This is because your computer has a limited amount of Random Access Memory to process anything at any given time. It seems our brains function in the same way. The parts of our brain that handle visual information have limited resources with which to process this information. When we load too much information or clutter, into that “visual field” it too begins to overload, slow down, and perhaps even crash.

Interesting, right? Many of us who feel overwhelmed, depressed, or unable to deal with life’s challenges rightfully look inward for solutions, but as you can see, sometimes the problem may indeed come from out-side of us.


The good news is that we can radically improve this situation by changing our environment. Not only can instantly improve our well-being by living in a more minimal space, as you’ll discover on Day 11, you can make even further enhancements to your environment to change your behavior in specific ways of your choosing.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Let’s attack that clutter once and for all now, shall we?

As you may have figured out by now, the primary cause of clutter is indecision. The opening sequence of this video provides a useful dramatization of the process.

We see something that we know is out of place. We pick it up with the intention of putting it away. Then we ask ourselves a series of questions:

‘should I keep this?’‘maybe I should give it to Aunt Thelma?’‘maybe I’ll need this next year’‘maybe someday it will be worth something’

… and so on.

Meanwhile, time passes, our energy dissipates, and before we know it, more important matters are at hand.

Repeat this process again over the next few days, add a few new bits of mail or doohickeys we got at the store, and our clutter problem continues to get worse despite our best intentions.

The key is to short-circuit indecision.

To do that, you need two things:

1. An organizational system for every new thing that enters your home. You’ll learn a very simple and fool-proof way to do that in the next lesson.

2. You need a process for rapidly sorting through your existing junk once and for all.

Let’s take a look at two extremely powerful methods for doing just that. They both trick the brain in a way that makes indecision impossible. The first is a kinder and gentler method. The second is a brute-force-brain-hack reserved for only the most severe cases.


Method 1. The Multi-Box Method

This is the standard method that professional organizers have used to great effect for many years. With this method they can bring sanity to the home of even the most extreme hoarders.

It’s simple, flexible, and adaptible to every situation.

All you need is several boxes that you’ll label as you see fit.

Note: when we say “box” you can interchange that with “corner” “room” “pile” “bag” or whatever suits your situation. Maybe all of your stuff won’t fit into single boxes. The idea here is to separate and sort.

The most common labels for these boxes are:

give away throw away storage frequent use occasional use rare use

You can break these down further if you like … If your community supports recycling, for example, you can break your throw away pile into recycling categories. If you want to give some stuff away to friends and some to charity, you can separate those further. Maybe you want to put some stuff up on eBay.

Choose whatever categories you like, but make a decision quickly. If you’re already feeling indecisive …

1. Use the above suggested categories2. Ask your friends to come over one day to take a look through your give-away pile to see if there’s anything they want3. Give the rest of your give-away pile to charity

That’s it.

Now, depending on the size of your home, you can use a single set of boxes for all of your stuff, or separate sets for each room. Adapt the system to whatever situation you have. When in doubt, centralize everything.


Don’t over-think it.

Once you have your boxes set up, go through your house sort anything that isn’t already perfectly organized into the appropriate pile.

That’s it. But be ruthless. Don’t leave anything out. However, don’t be a perfectionist, either. The idea here is to make a major dent into the problem. You’ll make steady improvements over time once the initial work is done.

When you follow the 11 day plan, we’ll show you what to do with everything once you have it separated into the appropriate categories.

Now, if the indecision monster is still on your back after that process, or if you’re too indecisive to even start, the next method is for you.

But be warned - it’s not subtle or painless. It will, however, work every single time.

Method 2. The Brute-Force-Brain-Hack Clutter Solution

Go through your house. Take everything … everything single thing that isn’t perfectly organized and stored somewhere … and put it in a set of boxes in a single room.

Make sure the boxes are relatively easy to access.

Over the next 7 to 14 days, remove items from these boxes as you use them. Once you’re done using them, put them in their proper place. (see the next lesson on organization)

But there’s one catch: if you don’t use it, don’t pull it out of the box.

The idea here is to make you acutely aware of exactly how little of your stuff you actually use.

At the end of the 7 to 14 day period, take everything that’s still in boxes and throw it out, give it away, or sell it.

As you can see, you don’t really need it anyway.

Now, if there are any remaining items left in boxes that you swear you’ll need later on, you can “deep store”


them for safe keeping. We’ll cover that in the 11 day plan.

For now, all we require is that you understand the logic of the system. The 11 day plan will tie everything together.


LESSON THREEOrganization

After you’ve de-cluttered your space you’ll want a system for keeping it that way and for constantly improving it.

We’ll walk you through exactly that in the 11 day checklist. In these video we’ll cover a few basic principles you’ll need to know before you can do that.

You’ll learn:

how to design an organizational system for your home

where to put things

how to manage paper

how to maximize space

Let’s dive right in.

How to Design Your Home Organization System

Many of the home organization systems being taught today are far too complex to be practical. What is needed is a set of basic organizational principles that are easy to learn and maintain.

You can do this in 4 easy steps.

Step 1. Create Incoming Holding Areas

There are two primary sources of “stuff” that enters our home: paper … and everything else.

Instead of allowing this stuff to pile up and turn into clutter, create two “holding areas” where everything


new that comes into your home must pass through before finding a permanent home.

For paper, this is relatively simple to set up, but requires some discipline to get into the habit of using. You can use a traditional inbox ... a stylish box from Ikea … whatever you like.

As new paper comes in, if you don’t have time to sort it immediately (using one of the paper organizational systems we’ll show you in a moment), simply place it in this holding area until you have time to sort it. This will prevent it from migrating to an unwanted corner of your house.

For everything else, the same idea applies, but you may of course need a larger space. At my home, the rule is - put it in the foyer until you find a permanent place for it, or decide it doesn’t belong here - in which case we’ll send it to recycling or give it away to charity or friends.

Step 2. Set Up an Upkeep Schedule

You can do this using any common calendar system.

Simply create recurring tasks, at whatever frequency you feel is appropriate, for the following:

Regular cleaning

safety and maintenance (When was the last time you cleaned the filters in your air conditioning unit, changed the batteries in your fire alarm, defrosted your freezer, etc? Doing these things regularly are essential for the health of your family)

Kankyo Kaizen(what behavioral changes would you like to see in yourself and your family? each week ask this question and brainstorm a Kankyo Kaizen technique to facilitate this change. see the Kankyo Kaizen blog post for ideas)

When these tasks come up in the calendar, add them to your Simpleology Dream Catcher so you can choose to do them yourself or delegate them.

It doesn’t need to be any more complicated than that.

As new maintenance tasks arise or become obsolete update your calendar accordingly. That’s it.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/departments/living_room/10550/

http://www.simpleology.com/blog/2011/11/the-kankyo-kaizen-movement.html

https://my.simpleology.com/login?return_url=/day#dream-catcher


Step 3. Set Up a Shared Shopping List

Constantly worrying about, and subsequently forgetting, the stuff we need is a considerable source of stress that eats up precious “mental RAM.”

Setting up a shopping list solves this problem permanently.

You can do this by by putting up a tasteful shopping list on your refrigerator (or using funky alternatives like the magnetic poetry shopping list), sharing an online spreadsheet with your roommates, or simply dropping items into your Dream Catcher).

That’s it.

Where to Put Your Stuff

As you learned in the lesson about de-cluttering, soon you’ll be sorting your stuff into the following 4 categories:

frequent use

occasional use

and rare use

Let’s take a peak ahead at how you’ll be dealing with each of these classes of items.

Frequent use

For those few items that we do use frequently, we want to store them in a way that keeps the following three things in mind: accessibility, aesthetics, and Kankyo Kaizen.

You want to keep things in a location that keeps them close to where you actually use them.

As the Japanese auto industry learned in the 1950’s, the location of things matters quite a bit more than most realize. They found that if a tool takes 30 seconds to locate and bring to the work space this is not a trivial matter. 30 seconds is not much time wasted, but multiply that by the number of times you repeat that action each day, and then by the number of work days each year.

http://www.amazon.com/Magnetic-Poetry-MAGNETIC-POETRY-GROCERY/dp/1933682108


Simple changes like moving a tool to within the immediate reach of the person who needs it has added up to billions of dollars in recovered revenue that was previous lost by this invisible waste.

In our homes such waste exists as well.

By simply thoughtfully changing the location of things, we can recover days if not weeks of lost free time.

When deciding where to put things, always strive to keep them as close to the location of use as possible.

Next, take into consideration the aesthetic appearance of the device. If it’s a nice, aesthetically designed, piece of hardware like an Apple computer or DeLonghi convection heater, you’re wise to show it off.

If, however, it’s a less-tastefully designed object, keep it within arm’s reach, but out of site.

Finally, in the selection of your frequently used objects, you may want to ask if you should be using them frequently in the first place. Once of the basic ideas of Kankyo Kaizen is to change your behavior by making healthy things more accessible and less than healthy things hard to access or impossible to access at all.

Occasional use

There are some objects that we don’t use every day, but we do like to keep them around for when we do use them …

Board games are a great example. Where should we keep them?

Two simple rules are needed:

1. Group like items together

2. Use a logic that you’ll remember

No one thinks alike, so a universal organizational rule isn’t really appropriate here. There is, however, an underlying logic that will make sense to you.

For example, if you have a guest bedroom, it will only make sense to store extra linen and towels for guests in the closet of that room.

http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&safe=off&biw=1280&bih=895&tbm=isch&tbnid=YtMJ4R9fNg5DYM:&imgrefurl=http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/29/curved-imac-concept-bends-beyond-the-realm-of-plausibility/&docid=8LzqgX6SA7RmGM&imgurl=http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2008/02/curved-imac-iview.jpg&w=440&h=330&ei=yWW3Tsj8Iu3MiQL-hqz9Ag&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=401&vpy=538&dur=8045&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=133&ty=93&sig=108660835442942286847&page=1&tbnh=147&tbnw=205&start=0&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:12,s:0

http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&safe=off&biw=1280&bih=895&tbm=isch&tbnid=N2LzVj0VFSntCM:&imgrefurl=http://www.amazon.com/s%3Fie%3DUTF8%26keywords%3DAmerica%252C%2520the%2520Beautiful%26rh%3Dn%253A2619525011%252Ck%253AAmerica%255Cc%2520the%2520Beautiful%26page%3D1&docid=C9Joa9rTFsCuqM&itg=1&imgurl=http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41Z3NEMMBWL._SL160_AA160_.jpg&w=160&h=160&ei=oGW3TviqJuiTiQLTn6yIAQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=224&vpy=615&dur=1152&hovh=128&hovw=128&tx=55&ty=62&sig=108660835442942286847&page=5&tbnh=128&tbnw=128&start=87&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:10,s:87


If you have a play room it will only make sense to store games and other related items in a store room or closet adjacent to that room and so on.

Rare use

For items that are rarely used, the trouble here is that any organizational logic you create will soon be forgotten. That’s why it’s best to store these items in boxes with a logical grouping that makes sense to you and label them.

Finally, if you have the space for it, you may want to consider establishing a free-for-all junk room.

If you’re pressed for time and there are items that fall through the cracks of our attempts to de-clutter and stay on top of the chaos, simply chucking them into the junk room will at least prevent them from messing up the rest of your more-visible space.

How to Organize Paper

There are a great many very sophisticated and impressive ways to organize paper.

They are impressive in theory, but are rarely implemented in reality.

Are you beginning to see a theme?

This company is simple-ology, after all. There’s are a great many reasons for keeping things simple.

When it comes to paper, if you follow a complex management system, you are very unlikely to stick with it.

The following three methods are radically simple, but far more effective than more complex methods.

1. Go Paperless (Best Option)

Fact: did you know that it is now far more efficient to stop sorting and categorizing your digital data and instead rely solely on search? There’s a growing body of evidence to support the merits of this organizational principle. A recent study of Gmail users found that the Gmail search function greatly reduced the amount of time it took to find email when compared to users who sorted their email in folders.

The same principle holds to all of your paper.


This may take a leap of faith in the beginning, but once you go down this route, you’ll never go back to the more archaic methods of storing documents.

All you need to do is scan your documents, have the text of those documents converted via OCR technology, and store them in a central search-able location.

There are a great many tools, like the Neet scanner, that will do this for you, but with micro-computers getting more and more powerful really all you need is your smart phone.

Then, simply upload these scanned and OCR-ized documents to a central place like Evernote or Google docs and don’t look back.

When you need a document, simply enter some logical search terms, and with a few tries you should be able to find everything. If not, you can always manually look through your documents by upload date.

That’s it. Welcome to the future.

2. Scan and File by Date (Good Option)

OK, this option is really the same as the above, except that in addition you will also keep a “hard” copy of your documents in a filing cabinet sorted by date. Keep a new folder for every month or year depending on how many documents you need to manage.

Why is this only “good” and not better than the above option? Because doing this can often make it hard to let go of the paper world and embrace the digital world. Yes, having a physical copy is good for back-up, but if you back up your data on a regular basis this is really not necessary and prevents you from sending paper into recycling where it should belong. 3. File by Category (Problematic)

Now, you may be tempted to organize all of your files by category.

This does work for very organized people, but chances are, the system will break down over time and will only create more chaos.

Why?

http://www.docscannerapp.com/


Because you’ll forget your own categories, start to duplicate them, and in frustration your paper monster will start growing again.

How to Maximize Space

To round out this lesson, here are a few random ideas for maximizing your available space.

1. Use Walls and Ceilings

Often we store things in cabinets and on the floor when they can easily be stored on a wall or hung from the from the ceiling - saving space, and often adding a bit of funky coolness to our space when used judiciously.

2. Use Hidden Space

There are a great many places to hide storage in your home … Under the steps, under the bed, even alongside the bathtub if you’re clever.

Start with something minimal and simple in your budget and upgrade it over time if you want.

3. Use Multi-Function Furniture

Sometimes …

… a picture …

… is …

… worth …

… a thousand ...

… words.

In the next lesson you’ll learn a few basic principles of aesthetics and interior design that will inspire you to keep this process going after Day 11.

http://www.outdoorplay.com/Hanging-3-Kayak-Wall-Rack?AdID=595--ARR_HYKAY&gclid=COXO1__lo6wCFSYaQgodiDVhEg

http://rafirafi.com/2010/01/dvd-storage-cabinets-for-small-space/

http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&safe=off&sa=X&biw=1280&bih=895&tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&tbnid=GNO_KQwYlzo92M:&imgrefurl=http://www.stylehive.com/bookmark/european-italian-designer-contemporary-modern-furniture-bangalore-karnataka-south-india-239332&docid=SPgcPL55GYvyNM&imgurl=http://www.casamodern.com/newasp/assets/product_images/bigpicture/zoom/Bruno-Wall-Unit--N-P.jpg&w=800&h=519&ei=qW23Tu7_CeWwiQKKr6BG&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=961&vpy=213&dur=1460&hovh=181&hovw=279&tx=201&ty=83&sig=108660835442942286847&page=2&tbnh=157&tbnw=208&start=24&ndsp=23&ved=1t:429,r:5,s:24

http://www.interior-designideas.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/hanging-pot-rack-2.jpg

http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&safe=off&sa=X&biw=1280&bih=895&tbm=isch&tbnid=-Amsn2IRKEUfwM:&imgrefurl=http://www.core77.com/blog/object_culture/diy_ceiling_rafter_storage_8631.asp&docid=atrQEraqY1tuOM&imgurl=http://s3files.core77.com/blog/images/raftershelf.jpg&w=468&h=340&ei=HW63Tp6HA8nPiAKU7uhm&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=374&sig=108660835442942286847&page=1&tbnh=168&tbnw=219&start=0&ndsp=19&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0&tx=102&ty=76

http://www.homedepot.ca/know-how/projects/make-a-hidden-storage-closet

http://cantyshanty.com/_9

http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&safe=off&sa=X&biw=1280&bih=895&tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&tbnid=nfVscH4GY3Dt8M:&imgrefurl=http://www.furniturestorenc.com/Item_Riverview_Galleries_1595861869~912-33R%2B2x334.aspx&docid=3CeAONgtJtCj4M&imgurl=http://www.furniturestorenc.com/Img/products/American_Drew/color/Tribecca%252520AD_912-33R%252B2x334-m.jpg&w=300&h=300&ei=CG-3TqDwFqHliAKsl8Vj&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=821&vpy=160&dur=236&hovh=225&hovw=225&tx=97&ty=130&sig=108660835442942286847&page=7&tbnh=155&tbnw=158&start=126&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:126

http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&safe=off&sa=X&biw=1280&bih=895&tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&tbnid=HE2DQggpIiO0BM:&imgrefurl=http://www.coolest-gadgets.com/20100823/bathtub-hidden-storage/&docid=PoA0VkZTpyHqpM&imgurl=http://cdn.coolest-gadgets.com/wp-content/uploads/stowaway-bath-panel_Af7FL_481.jpg&w=500&h=298&ei=fG63TqPTK-LfiALx6sGVBQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=680&vpy=358&dur=4380&hovh=173&hovw=291&tx=98&ty=121&sig=108660835442942286847&page=1&tbnh=132&tbnw=221&start=0&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:8,s:0

http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&safe=off&biw=1280&bih=895&tbm=isch&tbnid=BG6Htz7XejjGNM:&imgrefurl=http://www.omcdesign.com/index.php%3Fm%3D1%26s%3D101&docid=62brjiL6cspR2M&imgurl=http://www.omcdesign.com/hires/hires1212.jpg&w=5100&h=3600&ei=b2-3Tu3BA4qpiALl_plf&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=486&sig=108660835442942286847&page=1&tbnh=162&tbnw=204&start=0&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:18,s:0&tx=63&ty=113

http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&safe=off&biw=1280&bih=895&tbm=isch&tbnid=5jKZ_q72CV3ZZM:&imgrefurl=http://www.fitinhouse.com/modern-furniture-design-multi-function/&docid=wxSJ7whcURIStM&imgurl=http://fitinhouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/multi-function-furniture-design-idea.png&w=1000&h=888&ei=b2-3Tu3BA4qpiALl_plf&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=198&vpy=572&dur=490&hovh=156&hovw=183&tx=118&ty=113&sig=108660835442942286847&page=2&tbnh=151&tbnw=178&start=20&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:20

http://theluxhome.com/furniture-for-minimalist-bathroom-and-compact-design-g-full-by-hatria/multifunction-bathroom-furniture-ideas-14/

http://www.kordonline.com/2009/11/shaping-your-body-with-modern-furniture-as-a-fitness-tool/the-multifunction-of-modern-furniture/

http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&safe=off&biw=1280&bih=895&tbm=isch&tbnid=VHwyOvnKrqYwKM:&imgrefurl=http://ebery.en.alibaba.com/product/235765289-200462379/Teak_cloakroom_Compound_cloakroom_Multifunction_furniture.html&docid=qelRTbqadNY36M&imgurl=http://i01.i.aliimg.com/photo/v0/235765289/Teak_cloakroom_Compound_cloakroom_Multifunction_furniture.jpg&w=500&h=320&ei=b2-3Tu3BA4qpiALl_plf&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=967&vpy=416&dur=347&hovh=173&hovw=259&tx=144&ty=59&sig=108660835442942286847&page=3&tbnh=158&tbnw=212&start=40&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:40

http://www.modecodesign.com/furniture/multi-function-furniture-from-bonbon-trading-folding-bed-desk/


LESSON FOURA Brief Primer on Aesthetics and Interior Design

Despite man’s many attempts to derive a universal set of aesthetic principles or laws, aesthetics (the study of beauty) is mostly subjective.

All human fields of study, for that matter, are man’s attempt to understand the universe with his limited bandwidth. Unfortunately, most children are taught as if text books contain Unquestionable Truth, rather than a distillation of what is really “man’s best guess so far.”

Theories evolve ... Perspectives differ from person to person … And one’s opinions evolve throughout one’s life …

Recognizing this fact is the perfect frame of mind from which to begin one’s exploration of aesthetics. Rather than treating it as a set of dogmatic rules, we are then given a number of tools to play with. We can use these tools as we see fit - and even break them and throw them away if we so choose.

Yet, despite this, there are some compelling theories of aesthetics, and some very useful rules of thumb, that we’ll share with you in a moment.

So, kick back for a moment as we explore a few of the aesthetic and design tools available to us.

First, as we mentioned at the start, aesthetics is largely subjective. Thus the perspective of the observer is perhaps the most important aesthetic principle of all.

Not only does the geometric perspective of the observer matter …

That is, where people will be when they look at an object … for example, when designing a dining room one would be wise to take into consideration not only what it looks like when entering the room, but also when one is seated at the dining table.

… but the cultural perspective of the viewer does as well.

Indian Aesthetics, for example, evolved by first exploring how effective objects were at inducing various


spiritual states in the observer, rather than how pleasing they were to the eye.

From this perspective one may examine a design very differently than were they observe it from the lens of a Western interior designer.

Once you take into consideration the geometrical and cultural perspectives of those using a particular space, it might then be a good idea to consider the function of a particular space as well.

This may seem obvious, but when one looks at the disparate collection of objects in most living spaces we see that it’s a principle understood by most but practiced by few.When an object that doesn’t seem to “belong” is in one’s field of view it could be considered to be “inharmonious.”

Harmony in music is when two or more notes go together in a way that’s pleasing to the ears. When applied to aesthetics it is when physical objects are presented together in a way that is pleasing or that serve a purpose.

For example, there is harmony of color - which merits its own exploration by playing around with color palettes ...

There is the harmony of shapes as when similar or complementary shapes are grouped together ...

There is even a “harmony with spiritual ideals” - which is one of the basic tenets of the Chinese field of Feng Shui.

Next you may want to consider the use of recurring themes in the various rooms of your space to create a sense of thoughtfulness and connection through your home.

Then again, sometimes it’s useful to deliberately break away from a recurring theme in particular rooms if your desire is to create a sense of “getting away from everything” in a particular space.

The next subtle enhancement you may want to consider is the use of rhythm. That is, it’s one thing to say “I used blue in my kitchen, so I’ll use blue in my bathroom to continue the theme.” It’s another to pull this off tastefully.

If over-used, repetition can feel tacky and heavy-handed.

It’s better to use recurring color and recurring themes with strategic repetition to create a sense of rhythm at

http://colorblender.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsRKsthjIik


careful intervals.

So, sometimes it’s better to take things away than to add. In fact, usually it is. Most people think of “decoration” as embellishment or the addition of things.

Sophisticated designers instead often focus on taking things away rather than adding.

And this brings us to the final tool to explore … Minimalism.

As Einstein said, “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”

After you start a design theme for your space you can then begin removing everything but the bare minimum of what gets the job done. Easier said than done, but what you have to look forward to is a tasteful and minimal space that creates a great sense of well-being and also earns the respect of everyone you invite to your home.

This super-fast exploration of aesthetics and design should get you started, but you’ll want to continue this exploration for the rest of your life. The best way to learn is to look at examples of good design on a regular basis. The best publications for doing this are Architectural Digest and Dwell. A subscription to both is a very good investment.

In the next lesson we’ll take a look at a few seemingly minor finishing touches that can greatly enhance not only the appearance of your living space, but also the joy of being in it.

And here’s a final point of embarkation for further study: The Golden Ratio. (warning: if your mind isn’t ready to be blown - do not click that link)


LESSON FIVEAn Eye for Details

In 1982 social scientists James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling presented a radical idea with an article titled “Broken Windows” in the Atlantic Monthly. A passage reads ...

“Consider a building with a few broken windows. If the windows are not repaired, the tendency is for vandals to break a few more windows. Eventually, they may even break into the building, and if it’s unoccupied, perhaps become squatters or light fires inside. Or consider a sidewalk. Some litter accumulates. Soon, more litter accumulates. Eventually, people even start leaving bags of trash from take-out restaurants there or breaking into cars.”

The notion that “minor” details can have a profound effect on human behavior grew and eventually even evolved into a full blown theory of criminology known as the “Broken Windows Theory.”

Proponents of the theory believe minor improvements, like fixing broken windows or cleaning graffiti, are surprisingly effective in lowering crime rates.

The architects of many city-turnarounds cite the Broken Windows Theory as instrumental in their efforts, including the legendary turnaround of New York City in the 1990’s.

OK, these stories are interesting, but how can we know if these conclusions are valid? How can we know if these cosmetic changes were truly the cause of the lowered crime rates in these cities?

Kees Keegan of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands had this same question. In 2007 and 2008 he and his colleagues conducted a series of controlled experiments to see if they could indeed find such a correlation. They selected specific urban areas and at various times they would keep them well-maintained and orderly. At other times they would then make the area look like it was not maintained, spraying graffiti, breaking windows, and so on.

The conclusion of the two year study published in the journal Science was that …

“One example of disorder, like graffiti or littering, can indeed encourage another, like stealing.”


While similar studies are needed to verify the correlation between similar improvements at home and great-er well-being it’s easy to see that such a connection is likely. And the uplifted mood that comes from being in an immaculately maintained space is something we all know from firsthand experience.

So, let’s take a look at a few of the minor details that make a big difference in your home. At the very least, do this for the sake of the people who do notice. When they visit your home, they’ll be impressed that you payed the extra attention to detail.

Wires

Stray wires, especially around our computers and electronic devices, also known as “wire kludge” is the most commonly overlooked minor detail in even the most otherwise immaculate homes.

A disorganized pile of wires sticking out of the back of your desk never looks good and is totally unneces-sary. In the checklist we’ll include links to a few surprising tools for organizing even the most hopeless wire mess.

Wall fixtures

Take a stroll through your home and look at all of the electrical outlets, built in lighting, smoke detectors, hanging hooks, and the like.

How many of them have jagged edges, paint where it shouldn’t be, not enough paint where it should be, broken edges … ?

Did you not notice these before? Most people don’t, but to those with a trained eye they stick out like a sore thumb. And even if you don’t notice these things consciously, they may register on an unconscious level adding to a sense of mental chaos.

Cleaning up these fixtures will have a surprisingly major impact on the overall appearance of your home.

Plants

Adding plants to your home is a quick and easy way to add some style. And the increased oxygen levels provide many health benefits - including a heightened sense of alertness and mental focus.


Once your space is de-cluttered, strive to have at the very least one plant in each room. Choose plants based on the amount of light they require, the water requirements, and the design theme of your space. Any local plant store should be able to provide excellent guidance on this decision process.

Just make sure when you set up your Home Organization System on Day 10 that you include watering your plants regularly in your regular maintenance tasks.

Hint: when you water, be sure not to over-water. Also, the pH of your water has a profound impact on plant health. Most plants prefer a slightly acid pH. Your local plant store can provide precise pH values your plant prefers, test kits, and drops to adjust the pH of your tap water.

Finally, keep your plant looking healthy by trimming off dead and unhealthy leaves regularly. Unhealthy leaves can spread disease to your entire plant and dead or dying leaves can starve the healthy parts of your plants of vital water and nutrients.

Air

The air quality of most homes is surprisingly bad.

If you were to have your air tested, you’d very likely find shocking levels of either carbon monoxide (from poorly maintained heating units), excessive odors, allergens, mold, and various toxic un-pleasantries of every variety.

Here are a few tips to get you on the right track …

First, if you cannot keep your windows open throughout the day, add to your maintenance schedule an “airing out” of your home at least once every few days. Open as many windows and let in as much light as you can during the treatment. The air and light will kill germs and reduce odors. Without this, your home becomes an ideal breading ground fold mold and various other odor-causing factors.

Next, take a look at your HVAC system. Most people don’t know that their vents usually have filters built in behind the grating for easy access. Change these filters regularly. And if you have a serious problem with odors or allergies, consider installing an electrostatic, charcoal or other more sophisticated filter in place of the normal fiber filter for enhanced cleaning.

If your heating system is old it may pay to have it checked out by a professional at least every year or so.


Rust often creates holes inside heating systems. If these holes appear in the casing around a furnace, large amounts of carbon monoxide can be pumped silently into your air. Carbon monoxide poisoning can reach fatal levels if high enough, and even small amounts can cause headaches or even long term impairment of health.

The next step for improving the quality of your air is to ensure that you empty your trash at least daily and that you dispose of organic waste (like left over food) as quickly as possible.

If you’re a pet owner, you’ll want to keep your litter box or potty paper in a location that is as far away from “the humans” as possible. The ideal location is outside, but if you must allow your pets to “go” inside then bathroom that is rarely used or another separate space is the best option. If possible, keep a window in the space open and install a charcoal air filter. For cat litter boxes, sterilizing them weekly and sprinkling baking soda on the litter after each scooping or changing is a far more effective option than many of the expensive alternatives.

If you have serious odor problems, from animals or anything, the following three tips are the best things we’ve discovered:

Nature’s Miracle

From our experience, it’s the only odor control product on the market that works as advertised. It actually neutralizes the most intense odors.

Candles

Especially in the bathroom, candles are an extremely effective odor control mechanism. Most bathroom odor comes from methane gas. Lighting a candle after doing your business burns up this gas and leaves a crisp scent.

Having candles readily available in every room is a must.

Baking soda

Many of the odor control sprinkles and sprays merely mask odor problems rather than correrct them. Baking soda sprinkled on the carpet before vacuuming destroys many odors and prevents molds and mildews from forming. An open box of baking soda in the refrigerator, cabinets, trash area, or litter area does a surprisingly good job of controlling odor.


A nice finishing touch is an aroma-therapy oil burner or a potpourri, but don’t add these until you have the root cause of your odor problem under control. Home odors are offensive, but are made more-so when they are masked with perfumes.

Now a final note for allergy sufferers … the preceding steps will lessen symptoms dramatically, but depend-ing on the type of allergy you have, you may also want to consider removing your carpets (they are a trap for allergens) and changing your bedding to something that is unlikely to trap the offending allergens. Dust-mite allergy sufferers, for example, can purchase mite-resistant sheets and pillow cases for a dramatic de-crease in their symptoms.

Light

Finally, no living space turnaround is complete without ensuring there is plenty of quality light in the appro-priate places.

Even the most beautifully designed space can look dreary in poor lighting.

Improve your lighting with the following three phases:

Phase 1: Functional Lighting

A subtle Kankyo Kaizen hack to change your habits, for example, is to ensure proper lighting for reading is available in the spaces where you’d like to read. Think of it this way … Imagine you’re in the living room and you are suddenly motivated to read rather than watch TV.

You sit down to read and suddenly realize you don’t have enough light. You rummage through your house looking for a reading light or some other solution to the problem, the phone rings, and suddenly you’re in the world of your phone call. After the call it’s unlikely you’ll remember your earlier good intentions - and thus yet another opportunity for personal improvement is lost.

Little self-sabotaging dramas like this play themselves out in homes around the world ever day.

Think of the types of behaviors you’d like to encourage and the locations you’d like to see them happen. Then, make sure the functional lighting required for this activity is in place.


Phase 2: Overall Brightening

Many of us have windows that remain covered, or light bulb installed with very low output.

Unblocking those windows is the obvious first step. The next is to upgrade your light bulbs. Now, if you’re concerned that the cost of a bright high-output bulb will send your energy bills skyrocketing, you needn’t worry.

Today there are a great many high-output long-life lighting options available that consume a fraction of yesterday’s low-output bulbs. And some of these lights are of the “full spectrum” variety providing a bright, natural, and healthier light source for your home.

The ALZO light bulb, for example, is a relatively inexpensive long-life full spectrum bulb that lasts for 10,000 hours.

Phase 3: Accent Lighting

As a final touch, you can use “accent lighting” by itself to enjoy the pure beauty of well-placed lighting on it’s own. Or, you can use it to subtly highlight areas of your home to which you’d like to draw extra attention like a work of art, a particularly beautiful piece of furniture, or a specific area of a room you’d like to use as a focal point.

...

Now that you’ve completed these 5 lessons, you have a good mental foundation upon which to build your turnaround.

If you haven’t already done so, break out your course checklist and begin the process in earnest. It will walk you through each day’s tasks step-by-step and includes links to many time-saving resources and tools that will open your mind to new possibilities and make your turnaround easier.

As you can see, this process can genuinely change your quality of life in some rather dramatic ways. Get started right now and by the end of these 11 days you’ll have accomplished something to be truly proud of and set the wheels in motion for many brighter days ahead.

http://www.amazon.com/ALZO-45-Watt-Photo-Spectrum-Light/dp/B00198SWJI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1320979230&sr=8-2


THE NEXT 11 DAYS...Over the next 11 days you will repeat all the lessons to make them stick.

But before you start on the next 11 days, congratulate yourself for what you’ve achieved so far.

To celebrate, visit the Simpleology Community in the Success Stories board:

http://community.simpleology.com

… and write a new post with the following subject:

“I have completed Simpleology’s <Insert Course Name Here> and <write what they have achieved in this particular course>

.... telling us what kind of changes you are already experiencing.

All the best,

Mark

Mark JoynerFounder of Simpleology

http://community.simpleology.com/

the 11day living space turnaround …stream.simpleology.net/mm1/classes/lstk/pdf/handbook.pdfwe all...

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