Practical home systems built on lean and 5S thinking – decluttering, organising, resets, and the small adjustments that make everyday life run with less friction. Less effort, quieter spaces, and designs that actually stick.
A few weeks before Japan, I laid my carry-on out on the table and went through it piece by piece. This is that first version. By the time I left, about half of it had changed, and the biggest change was how I used my packing cubes. I’ve kept the original setup here, because the…
I’m not trying to create a perfect setup at home. I’m not aiming for pretty cupboards, matching containers, or some sort of Instagram version of organised. All I’m really trying to do is make my home easier to live in. That’s the goal behind a lot of the little resets I do, whether it’s in…
I’ve been getting the winter setup ready, and this time the focus was on adding a bit of protection over the drums I planted out last weekend. It was a simple job, mostly using materials I already had left over from last season. I was not trying to build anything perfect, just something practical that…
When my seeds arrived in the post, it felt like the right time to get back into the garden and start the winter reset properly. I had a plan in mind before I began, but once everything was laid out in front of me, I ended up changing a few things. That seems to happen…
Getting the drums ready Today was about getting my winter drums ready. This time I cut them into thirds instead of halves. These ones are for vegetables, not trees, so they don’t need the same soil volume. Cutting them smaller should still give me enough room for the crops I want to grow, while using…
I changed one small thing in my house, and it set off a domino effect. It wasn’t a makeover, and it definitely wasn’t a “new me” moment. Just a few practical changes that made the place easier to live in. None of it was expensive, and none of it was complicated. It was mostly moving…
Starting with the plan I didn’t have the drums yet for the winter garden, but it was still time to work out what I wanted the setup to look like. Before I start building anything, I wanted to get clear on the numbers, the layout, and the limits I’m working with. The numbers The plan…
Keeping it simple This batch was meant to stay simple. I used the same base beer I already know works, then changed one small part of it to see what difference it made. This time the change was Simcoe and Lemon Drop hops. Not enough to dominate the beer. Just enough to change it slightly….
Making room for the next trees It was time to get the feijoas into planters of their own. I had two drums to cut down, which would make four pots for the trees. I’d also end up with a spare planter for either my Lemonicious lemon or the Valencia orange later on. Cutting the drums…
When people come to my place, the first thing they usually ask is “Where do you sleep?” Not long after that, they usually say how spacious it feels. That probably sounds strange for a small one-bedroom unit, but that’s the whole point of how I’ve set it up. It’s simple, compact, and it works for…