3 Keys Thursday: 3 Steps to Shoring Up Weak Spots

Dodgerton Skillhause via Morguefile

I had planned to post this last week (the day after Wednesday's post about weak spots and cracks), but I was attending a virtual writing retreat and, ironically, never got it written! By the time I realized this post hadn't made it out of my drafts folder, it was late in the evening, so I decided to let the Facebook Live video suffice.

So, here I am, once again talking about weak spots and cracks. A weak spot is something that's working but not quite ideal, while a crack is a system so weak it could give way at any time. Both of these need our attention, but one is more dire than the other.

If you are reading this and nodding along, your next question is probably, "what do I do?" Well, like so much else in organization, it's a process.

Identify what's working. Starting with successes tells us what we need to look for in our solutions and makes sure we don't "throw out the baby with the bathwater," so to speak. What do you like about the set-up? The container? The location? These are things you'll want to replicate as you make things even better.

Identify the problem. Is it a container problem, a location problem or a style problem? Issues with containers (and when I say "container" I mean anything from a pencil cup to a closet) include size (too big or too small), function (not up to doing the job it's currently doing or having a built-in obstacle such as a lid or needing too many steps to access it), and location (great container, but too out-of-the-way). Perhaps the location is right but there's no container at all (that pile of papers on the desk). Once you've decided what the problem is, it's much easier to figure out the next step, especially when you pair it with what is already working well.

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Consider your styles. Is the weak spot an indication that you aren't being true to style? If you've discovered built- in obstacles, for example (for me, lids are a great example of this, as they're hindrances to both my I need to see it personal style and my drop and run organizational style), how can you simplify the set-up so it works for you? What has worked in other areas of your house? How can you replicate that to turn this this weak spot into a strong spot?

From here, it's time to figure out one concrete action you can take to make things better. A new container? A new location? A reorganization of the space? Keep in mind that although this step might lead to a permanent solution, it might be just a stepping stone. Dial back the pressure, and focus on making it better rather than perfect. Solutions emerge, and as we change, they need to change too.

When I look at how different our house looks now compared to how it looked when we moved in 25 years ago, I can see how it has grown (an addition) and changed (an office turned playroom turned family room) according to the needs of our family. Organization works in much the same way. What we need to organize influences how we need to organize and where we need to organize it.

And sometimes those weak spots and cracks are a doorway to a better way.