Monthly Article

The Disneyland Principle
Do you have one spot in your home or office where stuff just collects? Maybe it’s the area by your front door where shoes and tote bags pile up. It could be the table in the kitchen where you dump your mail, hoping to get to it sooner rather than later. Perhaps it’s the pile on your desk that never seems to go away.

In last month’s article (see Don't Let Tasks Become Projects), we talked about not letting tasks become projects. Hopefully, you have taken one or two projects off your ”to do” list, turning them back into tasks.

This month’s article relates to that concept. Just as there are small tasks, when ignored or put off, which become large projects requiring major chunks of time, there are also small places that appear to attract stuff. These spaces grow clutter daily, which later requires more time and attention. How does this happen?

To begin with, many people mistakenly assume that empty spaces are places to pile. Instead of putting something away (task), they drop it into a convenient place, hoping to get to it later (eventual project). After a while, this process becomes a habit, and a perpetually cluttered space is born.

The solution is to employ what my dad used to call the Disneyland Principle. We have all been to that happy place and seen the neatly dressed street sweepers constantly brooming tiny bits of debris into dustpans. Because the park is always meticulously clean, park-goers are hesitant to casually toss even a gum wrapper onto the well-manicured streets. People are subconsciously willing to keep clean places neat and tidy.

Contrast that with the local movie theater. Since the floor is already sticky, we don’t think twice about leaving our popcorn containers, soda cups, and candy wrappers on the floor.

Reclaim the cluttered spaces in your home or office by creating your own Disneyland. Take some time to put away all the items that don’t belong there. If an item doesn’t currently belong anywhere, move it to the room where it is used the most. When spouses and children start to dump their stuff in that space, help them find the proper place for their belongings. Just like the happiest place on earth, you will need to be diligent about keeping the area free of clutter, both large and small. Be prepared, people may complain at first. However, as this becomes a new habit, it will be easier not to dump there. Eventually, everyone will appreciate the absence of clutter and enjoy the open space.

Take an hour this month to create your own Disneyland. Reclaim the space and make it work for you.

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