Most of us have a love affair with bins, baskets, and containers. We buy them believing they are the magic bullet and the answer to our every conflict with clutter. We believe they will instantly make our lives easier, but friends…tread lightly in this relationship.
Bins, baskets, and containers certainly have their place in the organizing universe, but it is important not to fall prey to a pretty bin before you’ve dealt with your clutter first. That’s right, “Containerizing” is one of the very LAST steps in the process of getting organized, not the first. So before you reach for that dreamy polka-dotted canvas container with the fancy built-in label sleeve, take a photo of it and keep walking. Maybe its right for you… but maybe it’s not. Buying it on the spot could mean those containers will become more of the very clutter you are trying to rid.
So what 4 things must you do BEFORE you containerize?
- Categorize what you’ve got (put like with like)
- Clear the clutter (get rid of stuff you don’t need or use)
- Create homes (give every item you keep a specific residing place)
- Count & measure (how many bins will you need and what size?)
If you are impulsive, you’ll end up with a beautiful bin… full of clutter! Or possibly you’re left with a tower of empty bins sitting idle because they didn’t fit their intended space. So next time you are in the aisle at Target drooling over the solution to all of your organizing woes, think of SIMPLIFY’s sage advice, ORGANIZE BEFORE YOU CONTAINERIZE because love at first sight… ain’t always right.