Tell me if you’ve had this experience before…
Something breaks in the house and you try to fix it. But you are frustrated because can’t find the tools you need, even though you know they are somewhere in the piles of stuff in the garage.
…or maybe you can identify with this experience…
You are away on a trip, or running an errand, or just out and about. Your phone rings and it’s your spouse who is clearly frustrated and you can sense this in her voice. She is trying to find something – maybe to redecorate for the new season – and can’t find the box of decorations… because you moved it somewhere the last time you organized the garage.
…or maybe this has happened to you before…
A friend is getting rid of some really cool stuff and gives it to you. You excitedly pick up the boxes of treasure and start tucking them away in your garage. Making room for this new windfall you discover a few unfinished projects started over a year ago, along with some broken items you still need to fix, and the box of decorations your spouse called you about!
If you’re a normal human, you have experienced at least one of these scenarios, and maybe all three. We all want to fix things; we want to keep things organized; and we love to get cool new stuff.
How we handle stuff is what we’re talking about here and how to get the most out of the stuff in our lives.
another common experience
Today I have a story to share which is part of my life-long journey to maximize stuff, minimize stuff, and get stuff organized. It’s a story everyone can relate to at some level because if you live long enough you will experience it too.
Recently my father passed away. He left behind a lot of stuff that our family doesn’t want to get rid of yet. It includes a lot of the stuff I know I can use too. Well, we decided to move it to my garage for starters. If you are paying attention, you recognize this as the third scenario I outlined above.
Well, this is my challenge now. I’ve got a lot of stuff from my dad that I want to use to make more and better stuff in my life. That sounds like an easy task, right? Except my house is really small by today’s standards. Plus I’ve already got a lot of stuff.
This new challenge was the reason for starting the minimaxer blog. I’m chronicling my personal journey and struggles to minimize and maximize my stuff at the same time – putting my philosophy to the test.
systems
Over the years I’ve learned to maximize my space and have built storage systems that really work – at least they work for me.
Of course, if you talk to my wife you may get a different story. She doesn’t understand the value of the stuff I’m keeping and gets frustrated when she can’t find where that box of decorations is in the shelf system I’ve built in our garage. (that’s the second scenario above)
So this challenge is my new long term project. Making room for the stuff I inherited and finding balance with normal life as I do.
Fortunately, I’ve got a lot of experience doing this. This will become clear as I continue the blog. There is a lot of trial and error that goes into creating any system. I’ve got decades of practice and experimentation in this area. You could say my main hobby and passion is managing and organizing stuff to be creative and get the most out of it.
along the way
I know I’m going to need to fix things, so I want to maximize the space and keep some kind of organization while I’m assimilating all the stuff I’ve inherited. In fact, we had a little fridge in the garage that failed while all this was starting. Of course, I tried to fix it.
In the process I found some other stuff that I put away some time ago to fix and have to make some tough decisions – as we all do from time to time. (this is the first scenario above)
The first step is get started. That’s the most important lesson, as I noted in the first MiniMax blog. So… I am starting.
This blog is my journey and you are welcome to tune in from time to time. Here I will share what I learn and my experiences as I adapt my systems to the challenge. If this blog motivates you or helps you on your own personal journey it would be great. If you have ideas or want to share your suggestions here, please do. Like any house move, another pair of hands to help are always welcome.
Until my next blog update, I wish you and your family maximum happiness!