Reality Organizing

I just saw a picture of a gardening organizer in Martha Stewart’s magazine and it reminded me of a built-in closet organizer. Now don’t get me wrong – it’s great to put in systems for closets and gardening tools, but let’s get real.

The gardening tools in the magazine were brand new; mine look like they have been left out in the mud for a few weeks.  The picture showed one rake and just a couple of other tools. It looked lovely but….it showed just a fraction of the tools we gardeners own. As for the organized closet pictures, let’s get real there too. I own more than 4 pair of slacks and tops, which is all the pictures ever show.

So how to you go about figuring out what you need to be more organized?

1. Gather all the closet/gardening items you have and evaluate them. This is the time to do a purge and/or replace. In the process you decide what is important to keep.

2. Design the system you are going to make or buy around the number of items you have.
I have 3 regular rakes and two leaf rakes, for example. For clothes, if you have a 2 feet wide stack of slacks, plan for it. If you are hanging double rods, can you reach the top?  How much space do you need between the rods?  How tall you are will have a bearing on where you space them as well.

3. After you decide on the keepers, decide what you use or wear most frequently and make those items easiest to reach. Most of us wear 20% of our clothes 80% of the time.  And although I need all the extras, I do have certain favorite gardening tools I use most of the time.

Martha’s picture of the garden organizer looked beautiful, but if we start using it for a yard stick to our success we may find ourselves discouraged.  Organizing is meant to support our lifestyle and should be fun and encouraging. The reality of my life just doesn’t reflect Martha’s version.  How about you?

Description:  Reality organizing is not reflected by the perfection presented in some magazines.  Organizing should support your life, not frustrate you with unattainable goals.  Gardens and closets both benefit from systems designed to reflect the user’s needs. 

Keywords:  organizing, closets, gardening, closet systems, real life, purge, design, lifestyle.