This past weekend we tackled what was the messiest and most cluttered room in our house. Our computer room.

Dave and I are both pretty big computer geeks, each in our own way. So over the few years we’ve been married we’ve managed to collect all sorts of parts and gadgets and miscellaneous computer related things. We’ve also well exceeded our share of paper clutter. Drawers, files, and stacks filled with only somewhat organized papers. Not to mention the random sheets of paper (whether bills, or simple note pages) that littered our desks, shelves, and floor.

The room had gotten just a little out of hand.

Here are a few images to illustrate my point…

The bookshelf…

Dave’s Desk…

Tina’s Desk…

The Closet…

Random File drawer…

Conveniently, one of the assignments given Dave at school this past week was to “5S” one room in the house. The assignment specifically stated to 5S your bedroom, but our bedroom would have been a simple task. Without complaint from his professor it was decided that the monumental task of cleaning and organizing the computer room would be a much more worthwhile task.

And so it began…

For those unfamiliar with the 5S process, it is a Japanese methodology for organizing (and keeping organized) a workspace. It is typically practiced in a work environment rather than a home environment, but the principles are the same. The underlying premise is to decide WHAT should be kept, WHERE it should be kept, and HOW it should be stored. The first 4 S’s are centered on the organization portion. The fifth S stands for “sustain” . . . meaning, now that our computer room is clean and organized, we need to keep it that way. For more information visit the wikipedia page.

We spent several days working on this room. Installing shelves, throwing things away, sending unneeded papers to the shredder, etc… It was a huge undertaking, and meant that our computers were inaccessible for a few days, but its done. And boy does it feel good!

Here are the AFTER pictures…

The Closet…

Tina’s Desk…

Dave’s Desk…

Bridget, helping to install supports for the wire shelves. She was pushing them into some pilot holes Dave drilled.
(BTW… she put that shirt on all by herself. Its inside out and backwards)

What do you think? Great isn’t it!! We eliminated an entire bookshelf and 2-drawer filing cabinet, and found everything a home. We even got Bridget involved a little bit. She thought it was great fun to help hang the shelving.

So there you go! It was worth a few absent blogging days, right?

Now its your turn! Pick a room and go crazy. It will feel good when you’re done…