Good Organizing Means Good Sharing

We’ve all heard the classic organizing mantra “a place for everything and everything in its place.” That may be a good place to start, but to truly benefit from being organized, it’s necessary to push that goal a little further.

Too often, we tend to think of organizing as sewing things up, locking things down, and hiding things away. If everything has been organized, it tends to mean “out of sight, out of mind.” While it is true that the less we see, the more we are able to find calm and focus, this doesn’t always help us stay organized.

Organizing should be about three things:

  1. Taking the less important stuff out of the way, so that we can focus on the most important stuff.
  2. Finding what we want, when we want it.
  3. Living in the present and enjoying the moment.

A great way to measure all three results is to consider the share factor. How well are you able to share your things and your space? Here are three examples:

Photographs

When my team is organizing a home, the process often grinds to a halt when the photos are unearthed. The client is having a great time walking down memory lane when her old photos have been uncovered, but that seems to be the only time. Traditional albums are a good alternative, because they are more shareable, but they often get buried too, in closets and cabinets. By scanning photos and organizing them into slideshows and photo books, they become more shareable with friends and family, near and far. Why hide them away? Check out pictureperfections.com to learn more about shareable moments.

Space for Company

One of the common reasons people hire us is because of CHAOS, Can’t Have Anyone Over Syndrome. When your home is organized, you can share your space with friends and family. You also make it easier to help others help you. There is less stress in emergency situations, when you need to bring service people in, because vital areas of your home can be safely accessed.

Media

Perhaps you are streaming all your audio and visual entertainment these days, but if you do still use CDs, DVDs, and other media, then don’t hide them away. It is much easier to share music and movies with friends, family, and yourself, for that matter, if music and movie titles are visible on an open shelf at eye level than if they are hidden in the back of a lower closed cabinet.

What it comes down to is, organizing should be about solving problems, not hiding them. When you find it easy to share things, it probably means you are organized.

Do you agree? Is there something you find easy to share, with a good organizing system?