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This reminds me of the process of 'Knolling', popularized by artist Tom Sachs. By definition it is just the act of arranging objects, tools, materials etc into

This reminds me of the process of 'Knolling', popularized by artist Tom Sachs. By definition it is just the act of arranging objects, tools, materials etc into spaced, parallel or perpendicular alignment on a table. Tom calls this out as an organizational technique, summed up by 'Always be Knolling' [0] - constantly scan your environment for things that are not in use, and if they are not in use put them away. If you are not sure if you need them, group all like objects, and align them all to be square to each other and the workspace. It's not like being aligned makes tools and materials really that much better organized, but it's the act of doing this that gets things put away and keeps clutter down and workspaces efficiently utilized. It's similar in part to steps in the Toyota "5S" system. [1] [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-CTkbHnpNQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-CTkbHnpNQ [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5S_%28methodology%29 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5S_%28methodology%29

contingencies 3y ago
I am one of those people who feel there's a certain amount of meaningful and useful context embodied in the last position of things... the files on the Desktop, the junk on the table, the books out of the book shelf, the tabs in the browser. As a consequence, I can shift context easily because all I have to do is scroll back to my prior workspace (physically or digitally). However, to remain effective, such a strategy requires a strict policy of no interference (nothing irritates me more than people reorganizing my stuff - which is why I insist on doing my own cleaning). Sometimes it gets out of hand. This week I closed all my browser tabs and realised the left-most of them had been open for 3+ months. On the other hand, it means using mental powerups like RCS/VCS repositories, todo lists, and project documentation becomes second nature because they are all free stored-context extensions. It's the mental antithesis of inbox zero - notbox infinite.
- c22 3y ago
  I agree with you, but as you point out, it doesn't work in multiplayer. "Knolling" is a technique specifically born from a shared work environment.
basq 3y ago
Interesting. I've always done this as a natural habit, I thought it was acute latent neurosis. But now I feel validated.

contingencies 3y ago

I am one of those people who feel there's a certain amount of meaningful and useful context embodied in the last position of things... the files on the Desktop, the junk on the table, the books out of the book shelf, the tabs in the browser. As a consequence, I can shift context easily because all I have to do is scroll back to my prior workspace (physically or digitally). However, to remain effective, such a strategy requires a strict policy of no interference (nothing irritates me more than people reorganizing my stuff - which is why I insist on doing my own cleaning). Sometimes it gets out of hand. This week I closed all my browser tabs and realised the left-most of them had been open for 3+ months. On the other hand, it means using mental powerups like RCS/VCS repositories, todo lists, and project documentation becomes second nature because they are all free stored-context extensions. It's the mental antithesis of inbox zero - notbox infinite.

c22 3y ago
I agree with you, but as you point out, it doesn't work in multiplayer. "Knolling" is a technique specifically born from a shared work environment.

basq 3y ago

Interesting. I've always done this as a natural habit, I thought it was acute latent neurosis. But now I feel validated.