Breaking Rules

  When I write about organizing, I emphasize the importance of being true to our defaults.  Who we are (personal styles) and how we do things (organizational styles) are at the heart of creating an organizational system that works for the long run. 

The more comfortable we get in letting our styles lead the way, the more likely we are to develop a sort of organizing intuition. We know at a glance which tool or method will work and which won't. And, best of all, we become unafraid to take risks and try new tools and ideas. 

For me, the first indication that I'd begun developing that sense of organizing intuition was when I screwed up the courage to remove the file cabinet from my home office. For me and my I need to see it personal style, file cabinets were where papers went to die. And, filing something properly required more steps than my drop and run organizational style had patience for.

So, into the basement it went, its drawers now dedicated to archived material -- things I don't need to access frequently but want to be able to lay my hands on quickly.

Sometimes, a tool or container baby steps us into intuition. About a month ago, I found really cool hangers that were perfect for organizing the burgeoning collection of leggings that are my go-to at-home outfit. They allowed me to look at my closet space in an entirely new way, and to create a way of storing my clothes that honors both my personal and organizational style (win-win!)

Then, one day last week, I put on a tee shirt that was really too long for shorts. Hmm...I thought. I should store this with my leggings.

Hardly an earth-shattering idea, but definitely different for me. When it comes to clothing, I store like with like -- dresses with dresses, tops with tops, bottoms with bottoms, like colors together.

Tops with bottoms? Any old color beside any old color?

Why not? It only makes sense to store pieces I'll wear together side-by-side in the closet, even if it's a departure from the way I usually do things. And, it will save me pulling out that too-long tee-shirt to pair with something besides jeans or leggings, only to have to take it off because it doesn't work. 

The beauty of organizing intuition is that it allows us to bend -- or even break -- rules. Those rules can be ours or someone else's, and they can have to do with containers, hangers, methods, or any other organizational concept. When our organizing intuition tells us to give something a try, we're taking a step toward personalizing a system that works for us. And, if we feel excited by the new idea, that's even better, because that's what will make us truly organized in a way that's truly intuitive.