Andrew Kromelow coined the term while working in Frank Gehry’s furniture shop. It’s the practice of neatly arranging objects, mostly in parallel alignment and at right angles. Tom Sachs is fond of “Always be knolling” as a shop mantra. As far as mantras go, that’s pretty good. To the point. I assume it’s a play on the ABC line of Glengarry Glen Ross.
Knolling is also a habit of mine. There’s satisfaction to a well organized workbench and jobsite. More than that, it keeps things safe and projects moving along—two things that go hand in hand, as nothing pauses a job quite like someone slinging ribbons of blood about.
The tool crib is your obvious place to start.
All the hammers and drivers and bits and whatnot laid out so they can be quickly found. No rifling through bins and bags, dropping levels and dulling chisels. Hardware too. Try not to stack it, if you can help it. Fasteners and building supplies organized so that they can be clearly seen and identified. Adam Savage calls this “First order retrievability.”
Putting in the work here (and forcing a little diligent maintenance as a project is underway) will keep things humming. It has the added benefit of instilling a feeling of superiority. I mean, just look at this organization. You will get compliments.
Bigger picture, this should expand to the worksite at large. Policing the fist-sized offcuts of wood that my friend Tom Bonamici calls “ankle breakers.” Tarps folded and stacked together. Stray tools brought back to their homes. Unused cords and hoses coiled and stowed. Tool boxes and lumber organized and orderly, out of the way. Materials staged. Concrete pads swept and trash picked up.
Throughout the workday I try to pay some mind to this jobsite organization. It’s easy to get carried away with the mission and things inevitably get chaotic. Tools strewn about over the timbers and various power tools at your feet. Sawdust and disarray piling up. It’s fine. That’s what happens.
This practice is not unlike meditation; your mind will wander… just make it a point to bring it back. Same goes for your impact driver.
Occasional resets throughout the day are great. Lunch breaks, most obviously. Call it a little early and have a pre-sandwich knolling session.
But, if nothing else and if forsaken throughout the day, organization and cleanup—knolling big and small—should be the sacrosanct end-of-day ritual. No matter the stage or state of a project, there’s no excuse to not find the time to set yourself up for success tomorrow, and to gain a minor win and a feeling of accomplishment, by tidying up the jobsite and making it look the best it can.
ABK.