| Let me share a true story with you. I once attended | | | | What does this have to do with organizing? |
| a business conference where the speaker had us | | | | I've noticed that many of my clients feel |
| watch a video of 6 people bouncing a basketball | | | | overwhelmed by their stuff and can't think of a |
| between them. The speaker told us to count how | | | | strategy to deal with it. |
| many times the ball bounced on the floor. | | | | When I walk into a new environment, I look at |
| After a few minutes, he asked, "How many counted | | | | everything and evaluate it - and I see the stuff that |
| 14 bounces? 15 bounces? How many of you saw the | | | | the clients have stopped seeing. Oftentimes the |
| gorilla?" The gorilla?! My eyes didn't leave that screen | | | | answers to clutter control, storage space or room |
| for one second. Surely there was no gorilla there. | | | | configuration is right before my eyes - and clients are |
| Upon a second viewing, it was obvious that a person | | | | amazed to discover the perfect solution was right |
| in a gorilla suit entered the frame of the video, | | | | there in front of them, but they couldn't see it due |
| pounded his chest, did a little tap dance and then | | | | to inattentional blindness. |
| exited - all while the 6 people bounced their | | | | Think of organizing as an opportunity to take a fresh |
| basketball in the background. Three-quarters of the | | | | look at your home environment. You don't have to |
| audience did not see the gorilla. | | | | live in "the plain old chaos of undifferentiated |
| How is this possible, you might ask? Well, it | | | | weirdness" (Jerry Garcia). Take on a journey through |
| demonstrates something called inattentional blindness, | | | | your house and begin to see it for the first time - |
| which is the inability for a person to perceive | | | | and this time, pay attention. It may give you some |
| features in a visual scene if they are not being | | | | new ideas about your managing and clearing your |
| attended to. In other words, if we're focused on one | | | | clutter. And, I promise you there will be no gorillas |
| thing, chances are we can't see anything else. | | | | involved! |