An Organizing Lesson From The White Stripes
One of the things I say a lot is limitations breed freedom. I’ve written several posts that demonstrate the value of this paradox , but here’s an example you might not expect: The White Stripes.
If you don’t know Jack and Meg White, they formed a Detroit band in 1997 called The White Stripes. They lasted until 2011. Their sound was garage rock revival. It was a refreshing blast for those of us lamenting rock’s decline, but it was their look that was so unique. It was a very conscious minimalism.
For starters, there was just the two of them. Up until The White Stripes, a rock band was, at minimum, three musicians: a lead guitarist, a drummer, and a bassist. In fact, some of the BEST rock bands took this fat-free approach: Cream, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, ZZ Top, The Police, Nirvana, Green Day, and my favorite power trio, Husker Du. Jack White took it a step further. He decided they could do without the bassist.
Then there was the color scheme. Only red, white, or black would do. The only other band I’m aware of imposing this limitation is the Swedish band, The Hives (just black and white). This made for some powerful branding. The musicians’ names, the band’s name, and the peppermint candy imagery were all the same thing: white stripes.
The White Stripes understood that less is more. The limitations they imposed on themselves opened up a lot of creative freedom. There was no complicated band dynamic, that one would get with three or more musicians. It was easy. Jack led, Meg followed. They didn’t waste a minute on choosing what clothes to wear: Anything red or white (or maybe black, if they want to mix it up.) All their creative energy was freed up for their music and their performance and it benefitted. They were GREAT.
My father, a classical musical enthusiast, upon hearing me defend Jimi Hendrix’s music as difficult to play, would say, “I can appreciate that it is difficult to play. I wish, however, that it were impossible.” If you’re like my late Dad, I don’t expect you to ever appreciate the achievements of The White Stripes, but if you do, know that they were fueled largely BY their limitations, not despite them. The same idea is true with organizing systems that may sound limiting.
If, for example, you have cleared off your craft table and organized all your craft supplies in just one closet, you have freed up the opportunity to process your craft materials on your table and accomplish some great things. If, on the other hand, you don’t set limits and fill up your craft table with excess supplies, then you forfeit the freedom to process materials and accomplish anything. Be like The White Stripes. Give yourself less. Do more.
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In the past several years, I had emptied 4 separate dwellings, my grandmother’s apartment, my mother's house, my mother-in-law’s house, and my mother’s next apartment.
Intrigued by the notion of death cleaning and the painful memory of the cleanouts, I too began to consider what I might choose to leave behind.
So, what began with a trial run, (a thorough clean out of my eldest son’s childhood bedroom) I was ready to accomplish something far greater.
When my kids learned of my intention to launch an attack on the mother of all clean-outs (the basement), they worried what this might entail both physically and emotionally, So, to my surprise, a plan was hatched for a consultation with organizer, Matt Baier!
Meeting with Matt, with the support of my husband, and in the presence of the madness (furniture from various owners, cardboard in every size and shape, school supplies from a lifetime of working in classrooms, and twenty-three plastic bins containing the details of my children’s lives)... felt like the perfect storm.
As we continued to mine through vessels of pottery, glass, random art supplies, remnants of carpeting, wood, and fabric, costumes, tubs, screens, windows, and a life-size stuffed man we called Ned, Matt was busy outlining a tactical plan of action. Meanwhile, as we stepped amid multiples of objects including, but not limited to, kitchen appliance, toys, exercise equipment, electronics, glassware, three TV’s, VHS tapes, cartons of emergency meals packed since 2001, and mountain of debris that hadn’t seen the light of day in years, Matt’s resolve only grew stronger.
Unequivocally, meeting Matt was the lifeline we needed to pull us up from the weight of what we no longer needed in order to pass it all on to those who could benefit from donations.
So with a plan in place, come that Wednesday, a team of three remarkable women arrived at 9:30 a.m. to bring order from the chaos, in two short days.
The process from day one would have been impossible to imagine. But these three incredible workers managed to remove everything from the basement in systematic stages, but not before passing each and every object, large and small, through my hands for my simple proclamation: keep, donate, trash or sell. Although daunting in scope, with each passing minute, the sorting really was simple, fast and surprisingly painless! Granted, I was a motivated purger, so nothing gave me more happiness than shouting: donate with as much gusto as I could muster!
These women were absolute angels. They were physically and mentally strong, determined to complete the work on time, and committed to organizing and reorganizing with thoughtful intention and microscopic precision to the work of sorting and discarding. In no time, as the basement grew unbelievably spacious, these three, then assembled new industrial shelving to accommodate clear, labeled bins (all provided by Matt) to create a visually consistent and clean appearance to this new system of organization
Through it all, Matt and his crew demonstrated common sense, sensitivity, practicality, wisdom, efficiency, an uncanny ability to problem solve and think on their feet, professionalism, most of all, kindness.
Included in the package was the capable Junkluggers crew. They arrived to haul it all away from my backyard: first to their charity center, then, to a consignment shop and finally to the dump to deposit my trash.
What a relief to watch them pull away with most of my basement firmly ensconced in the bed of their truck.
One week post clean out, I process the experience a little more each day. The sense of well being and gratitude I feel is immeasurable.
Thank you Matt!
We decided to use Matt Bowers organizers based on recommendations and meeting with Matt Bowers himself.
All of our expectations were met and more. His team of experts were great. They were true professionals in every aspect of the word. Always on time, very knowledgeable and experienced and very accommodating. All through the project they were very attentive to our needs and opinions. And not less important were always punctual and industrious.
Our house is so much more functional now and better organized while we managed to get rid and donate a huge amount of stuff that was just occupying space.
We highly recommend Matt Bowers Organization
Noni and Giora Davidai, New canaan CT
Matt and his team were very professional, responsive to my needs and were able to accommodate my aesthetic into their work. But most importantly they were fun to work with and I felt completely at ease discussing my challenges with them. They truly listened. I would recommend them for any project without reservation.
After several other moves, one of which we were only given a 24-hour notice to move all household items into storage, items were just boxed without labels. Since we had no idea where certain items were, duplicate items bought and used. Along came another move, and we continued to box and move those items again. Finally, we needed to combine similar items to reduce the clutter! The team worked so well, always exceeding my expectations by getting this massive project done! It is wonderful to be organized again and able to find items with ease.
The process with the Team is simple, and you work at your own pace. No one will pressure you to get rid of items. Also, there is a great option to donate items. We were fortunate to have boxes and boxes of kitchen items, household, and bathroom items neatly organized or donated to a charity. We can not thank the team members enough for all the work that they did.
We find so much more clarity with an organized home. The flow of our home is peaceful, and we no longer staring at clutter or rearranging boxes to get them out of view!
Matt's company came highly recommended by several local Realtors. At first, I was a bit concerned about the pricing seeming very expensive; I quickly realized that it was worth every penny and soon became a seasonal client.
The team arrives so prepared and professional; they know just what to do and I can be as involved as much as I choose; or not all. They just get the job done.
Just as an example, I had over 15 file boxes of papers and Matt's team organized and reduced it down to only 4 well organized drawers.
Our personal items were sorted, organized, donated or stored neatly throughout the house.
Matt's team was a life saver for my family. I would highly recommend their service; The results are well worth the investment.
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