A photo of a client’s basement tool/paint storage. All these bins that he had on hand to get it organized!
If you type “organize” into Google you will get a plethora of images, most of them rainbow-coordinated shelves and items in containers with pretty labels. This is usually what first comes to mind when we think of something being organized. But do you know what the actual definition of organized is? Having one’s affairs in order so as to deal with them efficiently and Arranged into a structured whole; order. Efficiency and structure are the big takeaways there, and that’s what I focus on when I’m organizing, not whether something is beautiful or Pinterest-worthy.
I am not the organizer for you if you’re looking to have your space look like something out of a magazine, where its all about form rather than function. I have done it, and am capable of making things look very pretty, but it’s not my great love of organizing. Sure, it looks gorgeous, but the goal is to make your life easier, not have a system that’s hard to maintain. You want to be able to live in your home and be comfortable, not worry if something is out of place.
Less Steps. If you have to open a cupboard, then pull out a container, then take off the lid, then grab the item you’re looking for, use that item, then put it back in the container, put the lid back on, put the container back in its spot, then close the cupboard door…. That’s a lot of steps! Whether you struggle with executive functioning, or if you’re usually in a rush when grabbing certain things, it will more likely not be put back away properly the more steps there are. When working with my clients, I take the time to ask them their routines, what they grab for most frequently etc. and then use that knowledge to best place the items. If my clients are ok with having stuff out on the counter, I opt for that for heavily used items. Some clients prefer to have clear counters, and that’s great too! As long as it works for them and will be maintained.
A pic I snapped at The Container Store in the US. Very pretty, but expensive!
Maintenance. If I’m coming into someone’s home as the expert, and I go out and purchase a whole bunch of brand new plastic bins and organizing products, they will think that’s the gold standard of how to organize. In the future, they will likely have an area that they want to organize or tweak a bit because things have been added or taken away. Now they will go out and buy a whole bunch more brand new plastic bins for their space. Just thinking about all the fossil fuels going into the plastic manufacturing makes me anxious… Instead, I try to use what we find around the house (cardboard box, plastic bin from another project, jar etc.) to organize items. That way, when my client wants to do it themselves, they will go in search of items around their house first! Use what you already have, repurpose, upcycle, thrift.. It may not match perfectly but it will function well and not cost you extra money.
A great collection of baskets I saw at a Value Village recently. Price range $3-5 each. Retail for wicker baskets is typically around $15-45 each.
Cost. Speaking of money, do you know how expensive organizing supplies are?? Whether you’re shopping at Walmart or The Container Store, they add up. $10-15 per item (and some are about $35-40 each), but they all need to match so you need to get 20 of one item… Organizing supplies alone can cost you hundreds or even thousands of dollars! On top of my hourly rate, I don’t want to have that extra cost putting pressure on someone who just wants to get their life back in order. Adding to someone’s credit card debt is not something I’m interested in.
A craft drawer I organized using little boxes and containers my client already had.
Pride. I feel like there’s always a sense of pride when you can do something yourself. You feel accomplished and capable. Especially as women, I feel like we need more of that in our lives! When you have to go to a store and give money to a large corporation just in order to store your items, I feel like you may lose a bit of pride. If you can thrift a storage bin to store camping gear, or reuse an iPhone box to organize your junk drawer, you feel creative and inspired to do more!
The environmental costs take a toll. Climate change is real and scary, and while I don’t think that purchasing plastic storage bins is what is making the biggest impact on their earth, I do think that every little bit helps. We need to reuse, repair and upcycle things around the house rather than purchasing new because it isn’t up to some unrealistic beauty standard of what you’d find in a magazine. Get creative, get thrifty and get yourself some functioning organizing systems using what you can find! Get in touch with me if you’re looking for some help, either virtually or in-person if you’re near Peterborough, ON!
