Organization Nation

Last week I aired some dirty laundry and let you inside my closet re-organization. Today I'd like to share with you a few granules of wisdom ("grains of wisdom" might get your hopes up to high) in the department of organization...

As I have shared previously, I have been in my current residence for less than a year. The process of moving has a beautiful knack at backing you into a corner and asking, "Do you really need ALL this stuff??!" Even after purging the closets, cabinets and other storage forms, the issue is not just how fit all of your stuff into the space you have. No, the challenge is how to organize your life in such a way that "works" for you.

There are aisles upon aisles of organization and storage assistance at any home/lifestyle store (e.g. Target) as well as organization self-improvement books at any bookstore. Though these are wonderful and beautiful, organization is not a one-size-fits-all deal. Unless you have copious amounts of cash (as well as time and patience) to burn, you need to know what is your organization style in order to be able to make the most out of the organization system you choose. This can be heavily influenced by your personality and philosophy about life. What works for your neighbor, your roommate, your frenemy, or your mom won't necessarily work for you.

My own organization style is like so: I like to order things in a simple and streamlined fashion, and preferably out-of-sight. I do not like being cluttered, and over-organization can overwhelm me as much as clutter can. I like a space to be orderly, but not sterile. To look like it is lived in, but not inhabited by a hoarder.  Weirdly precise, I know. Moving on...

For all intents and purposes, the room above is organized. This person has shelves and bins and canisters to systematize the room's purpose. And yet, when I see a room like this, my chest gets tight, my breath quickens, and my eye kind of twitches. I feel claustrophobic. I wonder, "Why do you need so much stuff?" This kind of system just does not work for me.



Cute...but not cute enough to justify the effort



When I think of organization, I think of efficiency. Efficient use of space. Efficient use of resources. Efficient use of time when it comes time for me to find whatever I am looking for. However, I think some people have different ideas of organization. Or else just different priorities.



 I'd love for my organized space to look pretty and I admit that it is a standard that I strive for. However, I do a cost-benefit analysis on any organizing. For instance, I love the look of this pantry. Yet, I think I must be lazy because the idea of organizing my pantry so that all of the spices, cereals, grains, etcetra look pretty in recycled baby food/spaghetti/applesauce jars is a total demotivator. I mean, I love organizing, and I really do not mind doing dishes at all, and I don't have anything against recycling--but the thought of putting all three of those together sucks the energy right out of me and makes me want to take a nap. Perhaps it is just the idea of having to spend all that time trying to get the stickiness off of the jars that will be left over from the original labels. I can't stand residual-stickiness. It would bother me to no end if I couldn't get ever-last-trace of stickiness off of the jars.



To the right



And then, of course, there is the color coordination in the closet. I always get a kick out of see this and I am not sure why. Maybe it is just because I can appreciate the meticulousness that goes into accomplishing such a feat. One of my sisters organizes her clothes according to such a system. I prefer to organize my clothes according to type.



To the left



I do this because when I am deciding what to wear, I am more inclined to think "I am going to wear a sweater today," than I am to think "I am going to wear green today." However, I can certainly imagine that some people do the exact opposite and for whom a color coordinated closet makes a lot of sense. Someone might even coordinate their closet according to mood..."I want to look FAH-bulous today, so I should check out the'glamour/fabulous' section of my wardrobe." Or something like that.

How do you organize? Or, perhaps I should ask...DO you organize?? ;)