[Noisebridge-discuss] cleaning up

[Gian Pablo Villamil]

IIRC simple procedures, strongly reinforced, became a habit. When they
become a habit, they do not distract from focus.

Perhaps making cleaning up a habit might work, perhaps via a simple
mnemonic, with loads of posters around to reinforce the message. That
is how Cisco hammered home the frugality message, attaching cards to
employee badges, collecting metrics, putting up posters, making it an
agenda point at meetings. Eventually it became a habit, and part of
the culture.

Some suggestions:

- A reminder message on the door, on the way out: "Leaving? Did you
clean up? Are you sure?" - maybe with a picture of a happy rat eating
a burrito or something like that.

- A few posters, with striking graphics, explaining what to do:

"Don't feed the rats! If you're done eating, and no-one wants your
leftovers, throw them away!"
"Don't want it, can't eat it? Put it on the hack shelf, e-waste, or
recycling - not a work table."
"Think of the next hacker - clean up your workspace before you go"
"Is your code as messy as you are? Is that bad?"
...etc

maybe have a poster competition?

- Collect metrics or data, eg. take photos of egregious messes

- Make tidiness an agenda point at every meeting, at least until
things are under control - review the metrics or incidents collected

- If things get really bad, have "all-hands" cleaning marathons
occasionally. At NYC Resistor, the incentive for this was a rooftop
barbeque for all involved.

With any luck, once habits settle in, a lot less energy needs to be
spent on this, and exceptions will be so noticeable that they will be
handled quickly.

-

On Fri, Oct 16, 2009 at 8:22 AM, Christie Dudley <longobord at gmail.com> wrote:
> One of the advantages, which often becomes a shortfall of intelligent
> technical people is a tight focus on what we're doing.  Often that causes
> them/us to not notice the world around us and the impact we make on it
> (read messes).  I've observed this with every group I've interacted with,
> and there are studies that describe the situation better than I could.  So I
> wouldn't put any malice or even laziness on anyone for not cleaning up.
>
> I would, however, ask that people make a little time before you leave to
> check around you and do a little cleaning up.  Try to think about it a
> little more.  It's the only way we can keep the space from becoming a rat
> heap.  Literally.
>
> Christie
> ---
> Pigs can fly given sufficient thrust.
>     - RFC 1925
>
>
> On Fri, Oct 16, 2009 at 1:11 AM, jim <jim at well.com> wrote:
>>
>> Rubin (rip) and a few others have from time
>> to time risen up and commanded or demanded or
>> some alternate injunction to action along the
>> lines of "hey, you! clean up that drink!"
>>
>>
>> On Fri, 2009-10-16 at 01:01 -0700, Rachel McConnell wrote:
>> > Kelly wrote:
>> > > I don't know.  Call me old fashioned, but I think that people should
>> > > clean up after themselves.
>> >
>> > Oh they should, they sure should!  The difficulty is, how to get them to
>> > do so?  Long sad and/or angry emails to the list are not working.  I
>> > don't have any better ideas than throwing money at the problem, does
>> > anyone else?
>> >
>> > Rachel
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>> >
>>
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