True Confessions Wednesday -- Weak spots and Cracks

True confession #30: There are both weak spots and cracks in my organizational systems.

After more than a decade of reading about organization, formulating my Organizing by STYLE philosophy, and putting that philosophy to work, I've repaired all the gaping holes in my organizational system. I can't say my house is clutter-free, or that my system is perfect, but it has definitely improved.

Still, I am left with weak spots and cracks. A weak spot is (by my definition) something that kind of works but isn't really a long-term solution. Sometimes, the weakness is easily identifiable (wrong container, wrong spot, wrong size) but, until the weak spot becomes a tear or a crack, or until I find a replacement container/spot/accommodation, it'll due.

Cracks are bigger, more time sensitive, and more prone to actually giving way. Like a stack of papers that could topple over at any moment, cracks are systems that could fall apart without warning. The sooner they are addressed, the better.

I hope it's obvious that what I'm talking about here isn't literal weak spots or cracks, but rather flaws and problem spots that need to be addressed. Sometimes, a trail of clutter leads us to them or sometimes they self-destruct under the weight of a responsibility they weren't designed to handle.

Take my mail counter, for example. Regular readers know it was a weak spot (and sometimes a crack) for years as I tried one inadequate solution after another. Its conspicuous location made it a source of not just clutter but embarrassment as well until, eventually, I found the right tools and created a system that works.

Last weekend, I attacked another weak spot -- my bedroom closet. The floor was littered with boxes that held out-of-season shoes that had no other home. The hanging rods worked but, upon closer inspection, when was the last time I'd worn anything hanging on the rod that was least accessible?

Hmm.

AnnaliseArt via Pixabay

Long story short, the clothes are in a donation pile, the rod has been removed and a small, cheap shelf unit (thank you, Target) now sits where the clothes were hanging, providing a home for all those formerly homeless shoes. Nearly every pair of shoes I own is now visible or in a clearly labeled box (an I need to see it victory!). There's one remaining bin of casual sandals that's in limbo. If they get worn this season, they'll earn a spot on a shelf. If not, they'll go into the donation box, too.

Why did I go so long accepting the fact that I was unable to see the floor of my closet? It was a weak spot. Workable enough to suffice (I could access everything -- kinda), it didn't require my immediate attention. But, once it got my immediate attention, it inspired me to tackle other clutter in my bedroom as well -- mostly because, as with most organizing projects, things got worse before they got better. Now, not only does the closet look better, so do a few other spaces in the room.

Weak spots often hide in plain sight. That pile of clothes that's been on the chair for so long, you no longer see it. The stack of papers that has made itself at home on the dining room table. The almost-right container in the sort of right location that holds things you don't know where to put.

Organizing is a dynamic process that needs to be flexible enough to adjust to the constant flow of "stuff" into and out of our homes. As life changes, our systems have to change, too, but, if we know what our styles are and how they work, those changes are more of a pivot than an all-out makeover. If we tackle the weak spots while they're still just that, we can save ourselves the headache of repairing a crack that has given way.

And, perhaps best of all, we can create beautiful, coveted clear space in the process.

True Confessions Wednesday: Something Old

True Confession #26: Sometimes, it pays to be a packrat.

On Monday night, (day 41 of self-imposed exile, for those of you keeping score at home), I pulled the lid off my signature scent (a fancy way of saying my only bottle of perfume) and the nozzle came off with it. Securely wedged inside, it wouldn't budge, leaving me with a nearly full bottle and no way to spray it. It was late, so I went to bed, saddened at the thought of wasting all of that perfume.

The next morning, I got up and took another look. Nope -- no miracles. Still inextricably wedged inside. I twisted the little strip of gold that remained at the top of the perfume bottle and the spray mechanism came loose.

Okay, good. I wouldn't have to waste the perfume. But where was I going to pour it? My mom used to have one of those vanity trays with the glass bottles for various fragrances, but those were long gone.

Wait.

I pulled open the top drawer of my dresser and there it was.

The old bottle.

There was only whisper of liquid left, but the most important part remained. I quickly pulled off the lid (gently this time), unscrewed the spray mechanism and, I'm embarrassed to say, got ready to pour.

Yeah, there was an easier way. I swapped the mechanisms and returned the old bottle to the drawer, exceedingly happy about a very simple thing.

When I saved that bottle, I had no really good reason. A faint aroma still lingered, so I tucked it in my dresser drawer as a sort of glass sachet.

Yeah. No good reason to keep it and pretty much every professional organizer on the planet would tell me to toss it. But I kept it because I wanted to and now I'm really glad I did.

Sometimes, we save things for a good reason. Other times, we just want to. We can't keep everything we've ever owned but, despite the fact that something borrowed should always be returned, something old doesn't always need to end up in the trash. (When it comes to something blue, I'll let you decide).

Has an all-but-empty perfume bottle led me to contradict Let it Go! (The L in STYLE)? Quite the opposite, actually. Let it Go! has always been about letting go of things on your own terms. If something has meaning or use and you have room for it, keep it. If its time has passed or it's not worth the space it will take up, perhaps it is time for it to exit your home, whether via donation, yard sale or -- dare I say it? -- the trash.

Now that I think of it, I'm not sure why I tucked that old bottle back in the drawer. Habit, I guess. Perhaps it's time to go back upstairs and apply my own rules. Its usefulness has passed (it consists of a non-working mechanism atop an all-but-empty bottle of perfume) and, if no further fragrance lingers, there's really no reason to keep it. And getting rid of something old makes way for something new or, perhaps even better, yields clear space.

But that's another post.

True Confessions Wednesday: I Know What I Want

True Confession #19: I want what I want because I know what I need.

For the past few weeks, I've been trying to figure out how to create an unobtrusive drop spot for my school folders that is true to my styles. While the fact that it's a drop spot (or it will be) makes it a perfect fit for my drop and run organizational style, the idea of unobtrusive is a challenge for my I need to see it personal style.

I've been at this long enough to have learned that when I know what I want the end result to be, but I'm not sure how to get there, I need to be patient. Turning all the related questions over in my mind allows me to consider all the possibilities until one snaps into place.

And it almost always does.

When I shared my dilemma with my husband, he immediately suggested my office, which sounds perfectly logical coming from someone with an I know I put it somewhere organizational style, but fails both the drop and run and I need to see it tests. My office is as far from the door I use to enter the house as it could possibly be, making that location neither accessible nor visible. While my drop spot needs to be somewhat tucked away so things don't look cluttered, it also needs to be close to where I pack up (and drop) my supplies each day.

Long story short, I determined a potential location on Saturday and on Sunday, I suddenly knew exactly which tool I needed to make things work. As I write this, I'm awaiting its arrival, looking forward to seeing how it works. I suspect I'll end up taking apart what's already there and relocating some of it, but that's not such a bad idea. The space I've identified is one of those where the things that live there landed there and just stayed. Rethinking their location and giving them intentional homes might be a bonus I hadn't considered when I started thinking about my drop spot. 

One of the benefits of learning how to work with our styles is that we get good at figuring out what we need to make a space work, I've reached the point where I know precisely what I want and what I don't want because I know my styles. While it might take me a little bit of brainstorming before that lighting bolt answer arrives, once that happens, I usually arrive at a long-term solution that everyone can live with. I rarely waste money on tools that don't work and I often improve the spaces surrounding the target area as well.

When it comes to organizing by STYLE, I've found that practice does make perfect -- or at least it provides a shortcut to easy upkeep.