The Efficiency-Destroying Magic of Tidying Up

friendlybus wrote: post #2

Author mistakes order for purity. The end of excessive purity is the same storyline as aquaman. The dichotomy of chaos and order is still helpful.

I think the point he is trying to make is more about “...mistake complexity for chaos, and rush to rearrange it ”

Re: The Efficiency-Destroying Magic of Tidying Up

#6

Post by carapace » Sun, Nov 17, 2019, 6:13 PM UTC

I once cleaned up my sister's room. I thought I was doing her a favor but she was mad at me for a week! In hindsight I should have known better. Spacial memory and all that, she knew where everything was even though it looked messy.

The article is not talking about the kind of tidiness that is the hallmark of a well-run workshop, IMO. That kind of tidiness is part of what makes more efficiency in that context.

Re: The Efficiency-Destroying Magic of Tidying Up

#7

Post by solidsnack9000 » Sun, Nov 17, 2019, 6:14 PM UTC

This article makes some good points. In particular, it emphasizes understanding why there is a “mess” in the first place — appreciating the role of things in a functioning system is an important step forward to any kind of constructive change.

Some elements of Konmari’s method actually are consonant with that, since evaluation of your self and the place of objects in your life are a continuous part of the process. Just throwing all your stuff away every week, whether you need it or not, would definitely be efficiency destroying although it would also be very tidy. Speaking from experience, however, this is not a behavior that developers struggle with. The heedless piling up of trash, code and tickets is far more common.

Re: The Efficiency-Destroying Magic of Tidying Up

#8

Post by a2tech » Sun, Nov 17, 2019, 6:16 PM UTC

Like all things, everything in moderation. Excessive clutter is choking and restricts the creative and productive workflow. Allowing yourself the room to make a mess while in a project though lets you work without constraints. Also I find myself tidying when I'm trying to avoid a problem. Which can be a waste, or an opportunity for your mind to work on a problem while your hands are busy (like a shower thought).

Re: The Efficiency-Destroying Magic of Tidying Up

#9

Post by BlueTemplar » Sun, Nov 17, 2019, 6:17 PM UTC

Hmm, I thought that Amazon was famous for how they standardized their cross-company software? (With AWS as a side effect.) Or is this not the case anymore?

Re: The Efficiency-Destroying Magic of Tidying Up

#10

Post by pmoriarty » Sun, Nov 17, 2019, 6:20 PM UTC

"When a God-level AI takes over in a science fiction book, it often remakes the world in its image: full of straight lines, smooth acceleration rates, and lots of chrome (AIs love that stuff). But as we start using algorithms to design things, we get results that look a lot more chaotic than that..."

It would be interesting to see a movie where an AI takes over and turns reality in to a Rube Goldberg machine.