The Mess in the Home Organizing Aisle

I had to get some storage products for a few clients this week, and pressed for time, instead of going to the mecca for organizers, The Container Store, I went to Target. Like most big stores they carry an impressive line of organizing products, but I nearly fell over when I saw the state of their home organizing section. It looked like the dairy, bread and paper product aisles before a major or minor snow storm in the D.C. area! The shelves were barren and what was left was picked over and in some cases damaged in some way.

Of course, then it hit me that most of us have the spring cleaning and clutter bashing bug at this time of year, and that is why the home organizing section looked a mess. Most of us have the desire to rid our home of the backlog of fall/winter clutter that inevitably piles up. Unfortunately, I was only able to get a few things that I needed and days have passed, and I still need to make my way out to The Container Store.

As an organizer, I always tell my clients to not buy any storage products until their organizing system is set up. Most people, tend to want to buy the products first and then make them work for their system. Think about the commercials and print ads we see claiming to get you organized by installing the perfect closet or garage system. The process of organizing entails sorting, purging and decision making so that the best, tailored system for you can be created. One of my favorite acronyms on this topic is Julie Morgenstern's SPACE - sort, purge, assign, containerize and then equalize (make adjustments to your system as needed). Even the highest end custom closet won't be the organizing solution if the organizing process hasn't been done first.

So, my sense is the Home Organizing Section in Target reflected the common desire most of us have to buy the containers first to get organized. I wish us all luck as we get rid of winter's cobwebs and readjust and/or create new systems that make our homes and us function better.