Mmmmm there’s nothing quite like it, is there? The anticipation. The thrill of the chase. You weren’t expecting it. You definitely weren’t seeking it out, but here it is. Opportunity. Want. That desire building in your gut. You bite your lip as you luxuriate in your options… Do you dare?
Your mind made up and the world fades away as you reach towards your intended… Your fingers gently caressing your beloved as any traces of doubt fade from your mind. Perhaps you exhale to clear your thoughts. At the very least a satisfied smirk slides across your face. Ahhhhhhh…. AND IT’S ON SALE! IT’S YOUR LUCKY DAY!
Yes, ladies and gentleman, those good-looking organizing tools will get you every time. It’s like you have a sign tattooed across your forehead that shouts “I LOVE ME SOME ORGANIZING TOOLS! I DON’T KNOW HOW I’M GOING TO USE YOU, BUT YOU’RE COMIN’ HOME WITH ME TODAY! I CAN’T WAIT FOR YOU TO MEET ALL OF MY OTHER UNDERUTILIZED ORGANIZING PRODUCTS THAT ARE LAYING IN A PILE ON TOP OF ALL MY CRAP!”
Yep, yep, yep. We’ve been there. More than once, actually. Oh, we’ve been seduced. The better looking they are, the harder we fall.
You see, we often mistake buying organizing supplies for getting organized.
It’s like we’re counting on the supplies to come to life after the lights go out Beauty and the Beast style. Except instead of teacups and grandfather clocks, file folders and drawer organizers will take care of our heavy lifting. We’ll wake up and our paperwork will be filed, laundry will be folded, and a system for toy organization will be in place and bulletproof.
It’s like buying new workout clothes before you start going to the gym. After all, it’s not like you can just roll up in there in your old Nikes. For you to fully squeeze every single drop of exercising goodness from the gym, your workout fits best be coordinated, right? After all, you’ve gotta dress for success. Bust through the door in Lululemon top to bottom and the inches just melt off! Wanna really drop some weight? Make sure you pick up a new gym bag, yoga mat, and $1000 juicer. That’ll really get that booty toned. Zero to absolute dump truck in no time!
Um. Not so much.
And just like cute workout clothes won’t help you get snatched more quickly than a t-shirt and some old running shorts, cute organizational supplies? They’re not gonna take care of your mess.
So what are the t-shirts and old running shorts of organization, AKA the 3 must have tools to organize anything?
Containers
It doesn’t really matter what they are. Random laundry baskets from around your house. Empty shoe boxes you found under the bed. Some big ZipLock bags. No, don’t use bags. Unless they stand up on their own. You don’t wanna make this process any more taxing.
If you really wanna get down to business, grab some banker’s boxes. (That’s what we use with clients. For sixteen years, they haven’t let us down once!)
Labels
Do not, I repeat, do NOT get your label maker out. It’s WAY too soon for that. I’m talking about working labels. Temporary labels. JANKY labels.
We use painter’s tape because it’ll stick to just about anything without ruining it when you pull it off.
(Post It Notes are okay too though those suckers do have a tendency to fall off. It’s a good way to get rid of those ugly light yellow ones though!)
A Writing Utensil
You know, to actually write out the names of the categories you’re labeling. We use those chisel tip Sharpies (though we’re do love us a good retractable Sharpie too!). They make the labels super easy to read and they’re big enough so that we don’t lose them. (That’s such a lie. I, Brenna, misplace them about 40 times a day. Once, I even blamed a client for taking it! I mean, not to his face but for sure behind his back. Turns out it was in my pocket.)
And that’s it! We promise! That’s all you need to get started on ANY organizing project. Those supplies will rock your world in ways you’ve never before realized! They will:
- Help you to get the grunt work out of the way right up front.
- Allow you to see exactly what and how much of a category you have so you can shop for a permanent solution that you love AND will actually work in the space.
- Try out the organizing system to see if it actually works for you and your family before you invest a good amount of money into it.
- Save a little money since you won’t buy stuff you don’t need and won’t return. Seriously, you know you’re not taking that shit back.
- So, the next time a tall, dark, handsome set of bookshelves tries to seduce his way into your shopping cart, let him down gently and whisper that you’ll be back for him once you’ve figured out where he’ll fit in your life. If he doesn’t wait for you, then it wasn’t true love after all.
