Organization Tip: Convenience is Key

Here is my dirty clean little not-so-secret:  I am a neat freak.  Well, more like a neat superfreak.  Organization makes my little black heart smile.  But it’s more than liking tidy spaces; I actually enjoy the process of cleaning and organizing.  It’s very satisfying to have a place for everything and everything in its place.  I love alphabetizing, categorizing and color coding.  Show me a room overflowing with stuff, tell me I get to declutter and organize it, and my eyes light up.

Yes, I’m completely crazy.  But I like to think of it as a feature, not a bug. ;)

Enough of my gushing about organization!  Let's move on to the tip...

Organization tip:  Convenience is key 
Getting organized takes effort.  However, once you are organized, staying that way can be rather simple.  One key to lasting organization is convenience.  If you have to walk three rooms down the hall to put your dirty socks in the laundry room, you might just drop them on the floor instead.  Put a laundry hamper right where you take off your socks, and dropping them in the hamper won’t take any more time than dropping them on the floor.  If your shoes come off at the front door but never quite make it to your closet, consider putting shoe storage at the door.  Make it convenient to put things in their proper place, and you’ll be less likely to end up with a big, scary mess.

Bane’s personal example:  Hooks and hamper in the closet
I have hooks in my closet for items that I wear repeatedly, such as the bat pajama pants and sweater that I wear during the evening post-shower, pre-bed time slot.  Folding these items and putting them away in a drawer every single night would be time-consuming.  Hanging them on a convenient hook takes mere seconds; I have no excuse to leave them lying around.

bat jammies!

Similarly, I have a hamper in my closet for dirty clothes.  Having the hamper right there where I’m undressing means I have no excuse for leaving dirty clothes on the floor.

conveniently located hamper

Of course, not everyone has room in the closet for a hamper.  You might want to choose one that is decorative enough to leave in plain view.

this wood hamper is quite elegant