The Intangibles

 So much of organization revolves around stuff, but establishing an organizational system that works is as much about the intangibles as it is about any physical tool we use. Our attitudes, values and outlook underlie every decision we make and the way we organize is no exception.

Here, in no particular order, are three key tools that are essentially invisible yet play an important role in getting organized and staying that way.

Patience. Whether it’s patience with ourselves as we work through strategies and brainstorm ideas or patience with others whose styles differ from ours, this attribute can make a difference in the ease with which we organize. Organization is neither an overnight success nor a one-and-done proposition; it’s a fact of life that spaces we clear will fill again and things we organize won’t stay that way on their own. It takes patience to set up the systems and keep them running smoothly, and to keep ourselves from imposing our will and our solutions on others who organize differently than we do and adding it to our toolkit makes the whole process easier.

Confidence. Organizing by STYLE is about turning obstacles into successes and thinking outside the box, both literally and figuratively. As such, it has an element of going against the grain built right in. It takes confidence to stand by our styles when they differ from someone else’s, especially when that someone else is someone we respect, admire and/or live with.

A sense of humor. As a Jersey girl, I think a sense of humor is an asset in pretty much every situation. When it comes to organizing, not taking the task -- or ourselves -- too seriously makes the process more pleasant and can even make things go faster. Keeping things light when family members struggle with organization can keep the peace and, with kids, can also send the message that organizing isn't an insurmountable challenge.

While we still need the right tangible tools -- containers, planners, drawers, shelves and the like -- having the intangibles in place can also be an asset when it come to putting our styles to use.

Back-to-School: It's Not Just for Kids

 I'm currently up to my ears in fall semester planning and frustrated that organizing is something I can only talk/write about until things settle into a routine. Luckily, I had a chance to do just that on Tuesday, when Tracy Stewart, the woman behind OSV's Up Close webinar series, was kind enough to host me on the webcast once again. 

Fittingly enough, we talked about back-to-school organizing, but we got to move beyond just little kids and talk a bit about college students and adults as well. I think that's the first time I've had that sort of back-to-school discussion, and it was a lot of fun.

In addition, OSV (the publisher of Know Thyself) offered the book at 20% off in conjunction with the webinar. Sale price is good at the OSV Bookstore through August 22 with the code KNOW20.

You can listen to the webcast here. 

If back to school is a thing at your house, I wish you all the best! 

Then and Now: Styles and Transitions

 As I (along with many of you) transition into the school year (or prepare to do so), this post from August 2019 seemed like a good reminder of how our styles can be the light at the end of a very cluttered tunnel.

Then:

Right now, I'm transitioning into the school year. It's the first week of school so, by some standards, I've already transitioned. But, as any teacher knows, it takes the first few weeks to get back into the swing of things.

This is one of the times when I most appreciate my tried-and-true, style-based systems. Engrossed as I am in planning and printing, I've allowed piles to form on heretofore clear surfaces (which is definitely not part of the plan). I know, though, that the missing ingredient here is not organization, but time.

When time is short, our styles elbow their way to the forefront, reminding our fledgling habits who's calling the shots. But, if we have style-based systems in place, we can placate our styles and redirect them by using the plans we've set up with them in mind.

If you're thinking this sounds a little like pacifying small children or, worse yet, herding cats, you're not far off. For many of us, our styles have been running the show for so long with few expectations or limitations that it's very, very easy to fall into old habits. This is especially true when time is short or we're transitioning from one season to another. Now, as I transition from summer to fall, even a casual observer would easily label me I need to see it/drop and run just from the state of my desk, dining room table and family room table. All the new ideas that are blooming and bursting are great; the fact that they litter multiple flat surfaces is not.

But I've been here before. I've learned that as long as I don't lose sight of the big picture, I can take my styles in hand and gently restore order. This week is less chaotic than last week and so, each day, I'm eliminating one hot spot and slowly but surely restoring clear space. Every small victory (today it was the bench in the mudroom) motivates me to keep going until the flat surfaces in my home no longer bear testimony to my tangled web of past, present and future course activities.

GraphicMama-team via Pixabay

And, these days, because I have systems in place that hold my clamoring styles in high regard, reclaiming the spaces is faster and easier than it used to be. These days, the items in the piles have homes and are therefore easily put away in a way that makes sense to me and is, therefore, easy to maintain.

Our styles are, indeed, double-edged swords. They can convince us that we are organizationally hopeless, doomed to living out of piles and retrieving smushed papers from small spaces. Or, they can form the foundation of a system that works.

Because, after all, all our styles really want is a little respect.

Now:

And the payoff for respecting our styles and planning accordingly can be pretty amazing! Two years later, I'm not looking at multiple cluttered surfaces. I've gathered all the things I need for planning and transitioning and given them a home in a specific, portable container. When I'm using its contents, the container (open on the top to match my I need to see it personal style) is beside me, usually in the sunroom. When I'm finished, it goes back to its (newly cleared) spot on a shelf in my office.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I have to say that having more space (adding the new sunroom) and less paper (after lots of experience with online teaching) has played a role in this, but the process of creating syllabi and refining assignments still creates a lot of clutter,  even when most of the final product ends up online. This is especially true for someone with an I need to see it personal style and a drop and run organizational style. Finding the tools that work for my styles has made an enormous difference in how much school-related clutter takes over my house in the days leading up to the new semester. Less clutter means less stress in a time of transition.

Score one for styles.

OBS FAQs: Why it's Not as Simple as "Just Get Rid of It"

 Does organizing have to be a ruthless pursuit?

This question has been running through my mind lately, prompted, in part, by an editorial column and a social media meme.

In the July/August issue of Better Homes and Gardens, Editor-in-Chief Stephen Orr shared his thoughts on memories in our homes:

"If you're like me, you--consciously or not--imbue your decorating, your cooking, and even your gardening with objects, recipes, and plants you associate with friends and family....these pieces may not be meaningful to the casual   observer, but it makes me happy to know they're there."

Around the same time this meme popped up on my Facebook feed:

My response? That's not organizing. That's cleaning.

When it comes to letting go of things, there are two universal truths. The first is that we cannot keep everything we bring into our homes. If we did, we would quickly be overrun by stuff.

The second is that it truly is easier to organize when there is less stuff to organize. That does not mean that we have to get rid of most of our stuff. In fact, it's extreme (ruthless) approaches like that one that convince people they can never win the battle over their stuff and that they're destined to be perpetually disorganized.

This is not true.

When done well, organizing finds the happy medium between the two. It allows for us to keep the things we love, carving out space (homes) for them wherever we go because they evoke memories and feelings that make us smile. Organizing also nudges us to get rid of the extraneous, the broken (mostly), the no-longer useful, the things we've outgrown, and the things that would be far more useful to someone else.

Still, there are piles of things that don't fit any of those categories. Therein lies the challenge.

Though my primary personal style is I need to see it, I have enough I love stuff in me to appreciate the sentiments of that Better Homes and Gardens editor. Because this is true, I understand those who see treasure where others see trash. 

Alexas_Fotos via Pixabay

Some things are irrefutably trash. Banana peels, for example. A collection of banana peels is not only a health hazard, it has no use or redeeming value (unless it's part of a compost pile). The inability to tell trash from treasure on that level is problematic and is potentially symptomatic of the all-too-familiar disorder of hoarding. 

When stuff takes over a house and the owners can no longer use the surfaces for their intended purposes, this is also problematic. Again, this may be a symptom of a larger issue.

But for most of us, the desire to hold on to things that evoke memories, make us smile, or otherwise enhance our lives and our living spaces is a personal preference. To be organized means to find homes for all of these items and, when the piles grow too large, to be able to cull them so that we, not our things, own our living spaces. Organizing means being able to find what we need when we need it, and being able to easily put things where they belong because we've assigned them a home in our living spaces. This, of necessity, means that the ratio of stuff to space needs to be reasonable.

What makes a house a home varies widely. For one person, it's clean lines and clear spaces with little in the way of extraneous decor, let alone anything that can be construed as clutter. For the next, it's
overstuffed sofas and throw pillows and afghans crocheted by grandmothers we barely remember, bookended by tables lined with family photographs.

It's possible for both of these people to be organized. It's also very likely that their methods will be considerably different.

Getting organized means taking control of our things, and the first step in doing that is making the 

choice of what to hold on to and what to get rid of, according to our rules. Only then can we organize what remains.

By STYLE, of course.

sagewords via Pixabay