As I confessed here, I absolutely love organization. I explained this to Kevin recently, it’s like when everything’s neat and in place it calms me.
As a 32 year old I’ve accumulated some tips over the years:
-Start small. It can be so motivating and seductive to see organized spaces, but they can require a lot of effort and the need to buy product to store things in. Bite off too much and you’ll loose steam and motivation. Start by tackling a drawer.
-I love Marie Kondo. I LIVE for a capsule wardrobe. I totally agree with the philosophy that your things should spark joy. But…I love stuff. One of the reasons I love The Home Edit is they say it’s ok to own stuff. They say though you either get the stuff or space, not both. This makes so much sense. I love my shit but I do have to figure out how to store it.
-The best tip hands down I got from the latest Home Edit book was to arrange your phone apps by color. I was dubious; I felt very organized already and how would you find things? But it makes SO much sense. We know intrinsically what our apps look like. I’m Not just saying this to prove a point, but the morning after I rearranged them I had zero problems finding things; I just knew what color to go to. And it’s so unbelievably calming to see.
-Everything doesn’t have to be organized. I have several spots where a box contains something messy. Some things are just a headache to keep organized; do your best but when in doubt put it all in a box!
-The most important things to organize are the things you use everyday. It’s irrelevant now but worthwhile to designate a spot for everything you need to take in the morning. Streamlining what you use daily helps bring calm so much to your psyche. Trust me.
-You don’t need to spend money but here are some of my favorite things:
Mason jars: I use these for everything. A toothbrush holder. To store bath salts. In the pantry. They’re cheap, visually appealing, and clear so you can see what’s in it.
Acrylic things: personally I have embraced all things acrylic because clear is visually appealing. I recently treated myself to 8 of these.
Carts: I absolutely love a cart. I have one for all my makeup and one for all my post shower stuff. The condo is small otherwise I’d buy a kitchen one, an office one, and just one for what I constantly use. I love these; they’re pretty small, have brakes and I like the 3 shelf design. They also sell these ones at Michael’s.
-Something toted as a specific thing can have another purpose. My favorite product are The Container Store shoe drawers. I linked the small size but there are multiple sizes. I use these so much…but never for shoes. These store our towels, sheets, my travel stuff, small accessories. I love these drawers!
