Do you know anyone who is a pack rat—of the human kind? Animal pack rats, I learned after doing some research, store an ever-expanding collection of artifacts and ecofacts in their nests, known as middens, or refuse heaps. These nests become important when archeologists study their contents to understand the diets and habits of past societies1. Yet I now understand why there is such a negative connotation when applied to humans. The word also describes someone who accumulates excessive amounts of useless material and is almost incapable of throwing any of it away. This month’s column is about keeping the valuable stuff, letting go of the useless stuff, and learning the difference between the two.

According to Webster’s, the word valuable means “of great use or service” while the word useless means “having or being of no use, ineffectual or inept.” During an operation, a surgeon must determine which of a patient's organs, fluids and growths are of importance and which are useless, perhaps even harmful. Like the surgeon, you must learn to ask yourself whether certain elements in your lab are valuable. Do they keep it healthy and vital, or are they making it weak, sick or even terminal? I’ll tell you right now, it takes a great deal of confidence to say, “No, this item does not add value to my lab,” and remove it—just as it takes confidence to make other difficult, complex decisions. But it is euphorically liberating when you do, and your confidence will soar as you perform this healing surgery on your laboratory environment. Unlike the pack rat, you with this skill can make the distinction between important and useless items because you DO know what adds value and what does not. The key is simply asking yourself, “Is it valuable?” as you go through your day and then taking the time to determine the answer.

In addition to spending a few minutes each day eliminating distractions through obstaclunity*, as last month's article recommended, this month take an additional few minutes everyday to get rid of useless, damaged, expired, broken and dangerous items such as chemicals, tools, glassware, paperwork, furniture and equipment. If an item does not add value to your lab’s net worth, get rid of it. If you walk into the lab and notice a stained, torn lab coat that no one has worn for years, take it off its hook and—with great care and tenderness if you’re sentimental—throw it in the nearest trash can. Or if you reach for a bottle of THF and notice three other bottles on the shelf and the first two are expired, take the time right then to properly dispose of them before the peroxides cause more personal cosmetic changes than bleaching your hair. What about the old HPLC on the hallway floor that was replaced last year with a newer model but still works (or at least it did when it was put there six months ago)? Donate it to a local high school or to your neighbor who needs a new anchor for his boat, but, either way, get rid of it. Make your laboratory valuable now, not like a midden to be uncovered in thousands of years as part of some archaeological dig.

If you get a chance, e-mail me your success stories as you put these new habits to use at suetripp@trippnt.com so I can share them with our readers.

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