Double-Parking and Other Hazardous Basement Habits

On Independence Day, I liberated myself from some of the clutter in our basement. My reward, appropriately enough, was freedom to move about in a space that had not been clutter-free in quite some time.

As is often the case, the project was kick-started not by a sudden desire to organize, but by something else entirely. My daughter, who recently moved into her own apartment, needed a bookshelf and I knew we had at least two in the basement. Unfortunately, they were serving as storage space, so liberating the bookshelf meant removing everything that was on it before cleaning it off and moving it out.

I suppose I could have left the piles for another day, taken them a few at a time, or taken a short cut and just put everything back in the space where the bookshelf had been. But, it seemed silly to pass up the opportunity to tackle a task that had long been on my home organizing to-do list, albeit at the bottom.

Many hours later, the bookshelf was upstairs, everything previously on the shelves had been sorted, and the belongings that had made the cut had been stored in their new homes.

Can I check basement organization off my list?

No, I cannot.

As big a job as this was, it was only Phase 1. There's another bookshelf double-parked next to the space that formerly housed the one my daughter took. If you're wondering what I mean by double-parked, you're probably:

• a Type A organizer, who would never do such a thing;
• someone who has a bigger house than we do and wouldn't need to do such a thing;
• someone who has lived in his or her house for less than ten years;
• someone whose basement is in better shape than mine.

"Double-parked," in this instance, means the bookshelf is in front of something else in the basement, just as its neighbor had been. In this case, what it's in front of is an old dollhouse we don't need to access, but which also has shelves we're using for storage.

At this point, you're probably wondering what on earth I'm doing writing about organizing. Double-parking? Isn't that something from an episode of Hoarders?

Maybe. But although I do have more than a touch of the I love stuff personal style, I'm not a hoarder.  In my basement de-cluttering, I had no trouble separating trash from treasure, and was delighted to see bags of trash make it out of the basement and out to the curb. I would prefer not to double-park but, like many of you, I'm someone who has lived in a small house for a long time (nearly thirty years, in my case) and who has run out of places to go with the accumulated evidence of the past three decades.

Although the outcome of organizing is tidy spaces, it's rarely a tidy process. Most of the time, like my basement, it gets worse before it gets better. Part of the process for those of us with an I need to see it personal style is spreading things out so we can clearly see what (and how much) we have. Those with a cram and jam personal style may be shocked by just how much they fit into a small space (and perhaps puzzled as to how to put it all back), while those whose personal style is I know I put it somewhere may find more "buried treasure" than they know what to do with.

If this process were easy, there wouldn't be so many of us who need to work so hard at it.

Organizing is hard, but it's worth it. Back in my basement, where there's still a serious co-mingling of trash and treasure, I'm choosing to focus on what I've accomplished so far, while acknowledging that I still have work to do. It's likely that I'll do that work in small steps instead of devoting an entire afternoon to it, nudged on by things like writing this post and the wonderful feeling of accomplishment I feel every time I go down into the basement.

The other day, I went down to put something away only to discover that my husband had put a cooler he'd emptied onto the table in my newly cleared area. 

As someone with a drop and run organizational style, I understood the impulse.

As the person who felt every muscle in her body after spending an afternoon restoring order in that space, I had no sympathy.

I didn't say a word as I removed the cooler and put it somewhere I knew he'd see it.

Clear space. The final frontier.

Then and Now: From the Mouths of Babes

 I celebrated Fourth of July by declaring my independence from some of the clutter in my basement (more on that next week). In the process, I discovered several fat binders whose contents need to be reviewed before I toss them wholesale. 

One of those binders contained notes and research for what eventually became my book, Know Thyself. In paging through the (color-coded, labeled) sections, I discovered my notes from the very first small group I ran on organization. The group members were third graders at the elementary school where I worked as a school counselor. In the first session, each of these eight-year-olds self-selected their personal and organizational styles. Then, the next time we met, I asked them to share their successes, along with the things that weren't working so well.

As we head into back-to-school shopping season, I thought it might be fun to share their observations and their wisdom before you hit the back-to-school sales with your own kids. 

Basic concept #1: Homes. Although they didn't phrase it as such, nearly every third grader in the group identified the concept of homes ("a place for everything") as a key to success. Some of these things included a bag for all the soccer gear, a hamper for dirty clothes, and folders color-coded by subject. 

Basic concept #2: One size doesn't fit all. But before you get too excited about those folders, (likely available for 10¢ each at many back-to-school sales), let me warn you that the group was divided on "responsibility folders." These ubiquitous pocket folders are standard tools, with elementary school students practically everywhere labeling one pocket "Bring back" and the other one "Keep at home" as they set up their systems during the first week of school. Most of the group members liked them, but a few did not. One girl cited "name on tab" (file) folders as preferable to pocket folders. 

"It all falls out," two of the girls said about the pocket folders, while readily admitting that their papers would be less likely to fall out if they put them in the pockets. 

It wasn't that these third graders, who'd been using some version of that folder for at least three years, weren't smart enough to put things in the pockets. Rather, for one reason or another, that tool did not work for them.

Basic concept #3: Like with like. The group was also divided on the "Agenda," a school-issued planner, with about half the group (3 students out of 7) citing it as helpful, and one student saying she preferred tucking her assignments into the Agenda instead of the folder. Again, though she didn't label it as such, she recognized the idea of keeping related items together. 

Basic concept #4: Leading a horse to water (so to speak) is only part of the battle. One thing both of these tools (the folder and the planner) have in common is that their use has been modeled by the adult at the front of the room. At the end of the day, teachers allow time for students to copy assignments from the board into the Agenda and put papers in the correct pocket of the "Responsibility Folder." Yet, even with this set-up, less than half of my group of students, most of whom had been trained in this process since at least first grade, used one or both of these tools. 

Basic concept #5: Give them ownership. Other times, well-meaning adults complicate the process. One of my group members cited her mom as both a help and a hindrance. Mom's advice and assistance were appreciated but, when her mom put her stuff away in a place that made sense to her (Mom), the student was stymied and frustrated. 

ds_30 via Pixabay

This was by no means a well-constructed study; rather, it's a set of observations made by a group of kids who joined a group to learn how to get better organized. Some actually came for that purpose, while others were there because they wanted to hang out in my office at the end of the day or because someone else (usually their teacher) thought they needed to be there. Still, it's the closest thing I have to kid voices on the subject of organizational tools, and the conversation sounds remarkably similar to those I have with adults still struggling to create organizational systems that work. 

Before you plunk down a substantial chunk of change on traditional back-to-school tools, perhaps it's worth doing non-scientific study of your own. Ask your child to pinpoint his or her own organizing- for-school successes, and then, perhaps, inject a few observations of your own, making sure to ask them what they think. 

Then, if you have flexibility in your school supply selection, let those observations and discussions be your shopping guide. If you must shop for specific tools, perhaps consider doing a little doctoring of the required supplies to make them a better fit, so that the tools work in the service of the student rather than vice versa.

That's exactly what I did with the binders I found in the basement. While binders are rarely my tool of choice, when I add dividers and pockets and clips, they serve as a resource years beyond the time I created them. Sometimes, they even yield organizing gold like the observations of students who are now college graduates. 

And the rest of the binders in that bin? When I finish this post, I'm tagging the bin with a sticky note. Anything not sorted by August 1 gets tossed, whether I've gone through it or not because, as my then-third graders pointed out in their examples, it's important to know where things belong and put them there.

And these binders most decidedly do not belong in a bin on the floor in my sunroom, awaiting further action.

Happy shopping.

Organizing FAQs: Do Small Steps Really Work?

 Can small steps really lead to big-time organization?

Yes! 

And no. 

Despite the fact that they don't lead off the STYLE process, small steps are a key ingredient in getting -- and staying -- organized. Truthfully, though, they work better under some circumstances than others. 

My favorite time to use small steps is when I feel overwhelmed, by life, by clutter, or (often) both. When this happens, I don't have time to dig in and truly eradicate the clutter but, by simply picking up one thing (and putting it away) every time I pass a pile, I can make a difference. Even better, I can make the pile smaller so that, when I do have time to dig in, I've already started to make progress.

And, as someone with an I need to see it personal style, I'm all about seeing progress.

Small steps are also great for chipping away at big projects that don't have a timeline. Maybe you've been dying to do a closet overhaul, but you just can't face giving up an entire weekend afternoon to drag everything out, sort through it, and do what needs to be done (keep/toss/donate/consign/repair). 

But maybe you can set a time for thirty minutes and dig in. Or pull out everything blue and sort through that pile. Or start from the left hand side, grab a handful of hangers and make sense of those clothes. 

Maybe you can buy some pretty hangers, pull that many items out of the closet, hang the keepers on the new hangers and stop when you run out of pretty hangers. Then, you'll know just where to start the next time you have an opportunity to spend some time on closet organization.

Okay, now I want to attack my closet. 

But I digress. 

The beauty of the small step is that it can look however you want it to. You can set a timer, pick one shelf, one category, one pile, or several inches worth of stuff. You can tackle the clutter you know you can dispense with in the time you have available or you can tackle the pile that's been screaming at you (figuratively, I hope) every time you walk past it.

You get to make the rules. And, if you've been reading this blog for a while, that shouldn't surprise you at all. Getting organized means taking control of your stuff, and staying organized begins with identifying your styles and choosing tools that honor them so that upkeep is easy. 

The good news is that small steps, consistently applied, can move us steadily along the path to organization. Even better, they can make organizing less overwhelming.

The bad news?

Well, it's not really bad news -- more the exceptions to the small steps rule. Small steps don't work so well when you have a deadline (company's coming in an hour). They might not work so well when you're staring at a project that will, by its very nature, take a long time -- unless, of course, you're very, very patient and/or don't particularly care how long it takes. 

When we take small steps, digging in before the pile gets too big or getting in the habit of picking things up and putting them away as we walk past, we're developing habits that keep clutter in check. These small steps won't make clutter magically disappear but they will show it who's boss. 

And that is half the battle.

That Doesn't Go There!

 The other day, I found myself standing in front of the refrigerator muttering about leftovers that had been put with the beverages. 

And rearranging things (of course).

The more things change, the more they stay the same?

I still haven't gotten out my label maker. But I am considering sticky notes.

In my mind's eye, there is a map for the inside of the refrigerator. Beverages go in one spot, leftovers in other, meat in a third. That is, to my way of thinking, why refrigerator manufacturers create separate compartments.

In my family's mind's eye, it's all a haphazard game. As long as the food gets into the fridge, they are satisfied.

Don't get me wrong -- I'm grateful that the food makes it into the refrigerator. I'm less grateful, however, when I end up throwing away once lunch-worthy leftovers because they got shoved to the back behind the applesauce which, by the way, belongs on a different shelf.

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know that my house is by no means perfect. I am an organizational work-in-progress and my house has multiple hot spots -- places where clutter gathers to have a little party at my expense. I respect other people's right to organize differently than I do, but when my husband's I know I put it somewhere style meets my I need to see it style in the refrigerator, I spend a lot of time muttering under my breath and searching for solutio

Last week, after I neatly re-stacked the leftovers and replaced the cut fruit on its shelf (the one where it belongs, not the one where it was), I seriously contemplated getting out the label maker and labeling the shelves. There's a good chance, after all, that what's in my mind's eye is different from what's in my family's mind's eye. I see shelves filled with food that can be categorized for easy retrieval. They see a large rectangular space that keeps things cold.

Photo: Morguefile

As I type this, I'm still considering my labeled shelves idea. The only thing holding me back is the ever-changing nature of refrigerator contents. The shelf that works for leftovers stored in stackable plastic containers might not work for the leftover pizza. Cut fruit needs more storage space in the summer than it does in the winter when we have less of it. Will constantly changing labels that are likely to be ignored cause more annoyance or amusement?

For now, I'm opting to leave well enough alone.

But the next time I throw away perfectly serviceable cold chicken, I just might change my mind.

3 Keys Thursday: 3 Keys to Planning an Organizer Shopping Adventure

Last weekend, my husband and I went to visit my daughter in Pittsburgh. As promised, she took me to our happy place.

The Container Store. 

Much to my chagrin, The Container Store has no locations within an hour of my house, which means I haven't been to a brick-and-mortar location in over a decade. This, coupled with the fact that my daughter is outfitting and organizing her first apartment, meant we had to go up and down every single aisle in the store. 

My husband deserves an award for this expedition. He not only tolerated it, but was patient throughout and even snagged a few things he thought were cool.

But I digress.

This type of a trip can be very useful, but also very dangerous from a budgetary perspective. If you like to organize and/or are in the process of putting rooms/closets/rectangular spaces in order, it's frighteningly easy to spend a lot of money very fast. 

If money is no object, this is not a problem. But, for most of us, budgets are real. 

Luckily, we knew this ahead of time. Here are three keys we used to help us avoid breaking the bank.

Set priorities. My daughter was all over this. She knew which spaces needed solutions and, together, we went through them ahead of time and made a list. That didn't mean we couldn't deviate from the list (we did), but it meant that we left with the most important things and, if we got sidetracked, we could determine whether or not the off-list item made the cut.

Know your styles. There are so many possibilities in a store like this that it's easy to go for the shiny objects, literally and figuratively. When you fall in love with a potential solution, look at it through the lenses of your personal and organizational styles. Sure, it's pretty and/or a great idea, but will you use it? It's easy to get swept up by the serenity afforded by matching closet organizers but if your personal style is I need to see it, do you really want to hide everything in a set of bins and boxes that are all the same color? If so, how will you make that work for you?

Keep the numbers in mind. Sure, that solution looks great but is it worth the price tag? Perhaps more important, will it fit in the space where you want to use it? I know this (and practiced it while shopping) yet I still have buyer's remorse over a few things I bought because I hadn't done the same prep here that we did at my daughter's apartment. Excited by the possibilities, I failed to consider the fact that I hadn't measured spaces before I left my house.

Clearly, I'm a fan of The Container Store, and so I say this with love: going to any store that offers solutions makes it all-too-easy for us to forget that one size does not fit all. They aren't promising that, necessarily, but it's easy to walk through those doors and think, "This is the place that's going to solve all my problems." 

Nope. That's too tall an order for any store. In fact, when I asked one of the clerks about solutions for a particular organizing challenge, she shook her head, acknowledging that they didn't really have anything for that. We chatted for a few minutes about what that might look like and how great that would be. I thoroughly enjoyed that conversation, not just because it was about organizing, but because I appreciated her honesty and her helpfulness. 

Will I go back? You bet. In fact, I'd go back this weekend if I had a store near me. What's not to love about a store whose bags are imprinted with the phrase: "Where space comes from"?

Ah, clear space. My favorite organizational outcome.

Thursday Thoughts

 Recently, I came across an article that talked about junk drawers and I realized something.

I don't have a junk drawer. 

Now, that doesn't mean my house is perfect, or even perfectly organized. What it does mean is that I've made enough progress in a decade or so of organizing by STYLE that I no longer have a drawer into which I toss all of my homeless items.

Since my organizational style is drop and run, this is a double-edged sword. My house might actually look better if I dumped all my clutter into a drawer, but it's my decision not to do this that keeps me functionally, if imperfectly organized.

What, you may ask, is functionally organized?

It means I can find what I need when I need it -- at least most of the time.

It means that the majority of my things have a home.

It means that the containers in which I store my things are a good fit for the way I think and organize.

It also means that when clutter accumulates, it's telling me something. Sometimes, it's telling me not to put my things down, but to put them away. Other times, it's telling me that I need to find a logical, permanent home for my belongings, or a better solution to a particular organizing challenge. 

Most often, it's a sign that life has become too busy to keep up with, and that I need to slow down and honor the systems I've created by using them instead of letting my default style run the show.

While it's probably true that my house would look better if I had a nice, deep bin to toss everything into, I know from experience, that's not a long-term solution. One bin leads to another (especially if your organizational style is drop and run or cram and jam) and pretty soon, there's a lot to sort and it's a challenge to find anything. And, while I suspect that a junk drawer might work well for Type A (traditional) organizers or those with an I know I put it somewhere organizational style, I've learned that a junk drawer just isn't my style.

Even if it means there's clutter on the counter.

Organizing FAQs: What do I do When I Get Stuck?

  I opened last week's post with these two sentences:

I didn't forget to post yesterday. It was just one of those days when no post seemed to come together and so, by the end of the day, I decided to try again tomorrow....

It occurred to me almost as soon as I typed that opening that that's just how we sometimes feel about organizing. Some days, nothing seems to come together and so, by the end of the day, we decide to try again tomorrow.

And when tomorrow's story is different, we feel great. We make progress, we restore order, and we file yesterday under "difficult days" and move on. 

But, for many of us who struggle with organization, the next day isn't any different and, before we know it, we end up with a succession of days where nothing seems to come together. Pretty soon, it feels like things are falling apart.

Enter STYLE. 

When I wrote Know Thyself, I framed STYLE as a process -- and it can be -- but sometimes, we can use it to trouble-shoot. 

Feeling frustrated and down on yourself? Start with successes. Zoom in on what you're doing right, and build from there.

Pressed for time, or struggling with where to begin? Take small steps. Choose any avenue in, no matter how small or insignificant it seems. Just start. Often, that's the hardest part.

Overwhelmed by the sheer amount of stuff you have? Maybe it's time to Let it go! No, you don't have to toss that whole pile, or get rid of things you love. Just sort one of those piles with an eye toward what should stay and what can go. Lightening the load makes it easier to organize what's left.

Can't figure out why there's a pile-up of things in places they don't belong? Take a look at one of those piles and ask yourself if those items are homeless or if it's true that yes, it has a home. Put the items with homes where they belong (or delegate that job to the family member with the drop and run organizational style who put it down instead of away) and then find homes for the rest. 

Easy upkeep feeling not so easy? Maybe you've outgrown your container (or perhaps it wasn't style-specific in the first place). Or maybe homeless items have taken up residence and need to be returned to their rightful residences.

STYLE works well as a process for big projects but for the everyday accumulation of clutter, sometimes one simple step will do. This is particularly true when you've planned your organizational systems with your personal and organizational styles in mind.

And sometimes, our best organizational advice comes from Scarlett O'Hara. Tomorrow (really) is another day.