The first time I heard a particular radio commercial of a major home improvement store, I though I had misheard it. But when I heard the same commercial a second time, I became alarmed as I realized that thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of people might think its message was accurate. The message? Buy storage containers for “important” stuff, “not so important” stuff, and “not sure why I’m keeping” stuff and “you’ll be organized for the new year.” Well if tossing stuff into storage bins is all it takes to get organized, there’s no reason anyone would ever be disorganized. Unfortunately, it’s not quite that simple. As I’ve mentioned before, and as I put into practice with my clients, using containers is just one step in the process of getting organized, and it’s not the first step. And while putting things into bins as the commercial suggests might look better than having them scattered all over, it most likely won’t help you easily find things when you need them. And that’s the whole reason for getting organized – to make life easier and save you from hunting all over to find things. So go ahead and use store’s suggested method if it works for you. But for those of you who would merely end up with a containerized mess rather than a visible mess, remember that tried and true methods of setting up organizational systems have a much greater chance of being successful for you in the long run.
Best wishes,
