The Key to Getting Organized

It’s hard to narrow the act of organizing down to one sentence.  Each space and challenge is as unique as the person to whom it belongs.  However, after years of working with busy Moms, one key mantra has emerged:

“Like With Like.”

It’s quite simple, probably even obvious to some, but after peering into many closets, drawers, cabinets, and desks, we can assure you that it’s not always so.

One Mantra, Many Spaces

“Like with like” comes into play in just about every space we encounter.  In organizing a child’s playroom, it means storing all the blocks in one bin, storing doll clothes with dolls, keeping all the craft materials in one area, (and often breaks down farther than that).  In a pantry makeover it means keeping all your bottles of oil together, perhaps next to the vinegars, keeping cereal in one place, and canned veggies in another.  When you keep like with like in terms of food, you eliminate the frantic opening of cupboards at supper times when you’re thinking “Gah, I KNOW I have canned tomatoes SOMEWHERE.” 

In a recent bathroom organization project (which technically was little more than surveying the contents of the drawers, sorting it, and moving it around) I discovered that the client had 12 unopened tubes of toothpaste, 6 new cans of shaving cream, and no fewer than 35 bars of soap, scattered across 6 drawers and 4 cupboards.  Stashing commonly used products is practical, but we want to make sure it’s judicious— not because too much clutter is hiding what you already own.  After the reorganization, top drawers held items used every day, while the bottom drawers housed the (plentiful) spares.  Each type of product was stored together, so when the client opens any drawer it’s immediately obvious what they have and what they might need.

Try It Yourself!

If you’ve been meaning to organize a portion of your home, whether large or small, but haven’t been able to figure out how to go about it, give our “like with like” mantra a whirl.  Pull everything out, sort it, and then put it back “like with like”.  Be sure to keep commonly used items easy to access!  Once like items are stored together— whether Tonka toys, towels, or toothpaste, you’ll be on your way to easier and more streamlined storage solutions.