Organizing for Real Life

Organizing isn’t always about having an immaculate pantry or a closet that is showroom worthy. It is, however, about what works for each individual person. If an organizing system is too rigid or too complex, it’s more likely to fail. If you decide that decanting pasta is more effort than you’re willing to make, you can have your packaged pasta grouped together on the shelf instead. Being organized doesn’t mean you can’t be flexible, you can change anything that isn’t working for your lifestyle. Ask yourself, “Does this organization system function for me?”, “Does it make my life easier?” It’s okay to let go of perfect and aim for functional.

The goal of organizing is two-fold. First, find a home for your items that makes sense and second, establish a method to maintain this new status quo. That could be setting aside 15 minutes a day to tidying up, returning things to where they now belong. It may be going through your catch-all basket once a week to address important mail, returns, or things that need attention. A successful organization system requires some level of habit-forming and it’s important to take into consideration your energy level. Life can get hectic and committing hours of time to decluttering or reorganizing dressers or trying to make the pantry look picture perfect can often create more stress than it reduces. Whether you spend a few minutes a day or carve out a weekend to maintain order in your home, the important thing is that it works for you.

What spaces stress you out the most? Is it the basement you’ve just been hauling things to without a second thought? Maybe it’s the office where both paper and digital clutter dominate. Whether it’s one room or the entire house, Orderly Arrangements can help pare down the clutter and establish a method of organization that fits your life.