Sometimes Rainbows Don’t End in a Pot of Gold

Want to Get Organized?

Styled to Perfection?

Have you seen those bookshelves that are arranged by color?  Aren’t they gorgeous?!  They make our organizing hearts go pitter patter.  *Sigh*  We could look at them all day.  But then, as we’re daydreaming about rainbows and reading nooks and perfectly styled homes, a little thought starts to intrude on our serenity.  It goes something like this…

Him:  “Hey honey?  Did those books I ordered come today?”

Me:    “Yep!  I already put them away.  They’re on the bookshelf upstairs.”  Pats self on back.  “I reorganized!  Wait till you see it!”

Him:  *Calling from upstairs*  “I can’t find them.  How is this categorized?”

Me:    *Calling back from downstairs*  “By color!  Isn’t it amazing?”

Him:  “Yeah, but I don’t see the new books.”

Me:     “Ummm,  I think one was cyan and the other was ochre…look there.”

Him:   *Calling a little louder*   “What?!  Where?!”

Me:      *Annunciating clearly*  “Cy-an and och-re.”

Him:    *Shouting*  “What the…”

Me:      *Shouting back a little bit louder*  “Blue and yellow!”

Him:    *Grumbling inarticulately*   “%#$!#@!!!”

Me:      *Yelling helpfully*  “Did you find them?”

Him:    *Standing right behind me*  “Yeah but I had to pull out every.single.book.  The hallway’s a disaster now.  Sorry.  Not sorry.”

Hmmmmm…bubble definitely burst.

Organize For The Entire Whole Family

Organizing will only work if it makes sense for you and your family.  Perfectly styled, Instagram worthy bookshelves are lovely to look at,  but if you actually need to find books by subject or author it simply won’t work.

Every Area Needs To Make Sense

The same principles apply to every area of your home.  Pantries, closets, and cupboards can be organized for style, but more importantly, they need to be organized for efficiency.   For example, does it make sense for the spices to be in a cabinet across the kitchen where they can be arranged in perfectly matching jars, or would they be more accessible in a drawer near the stove?

Also, consider the people in your family.  Will it work to arrange all of the snacks in your pantry into bins or will that just make it harder for your kids? Does it make sense for you to fold your toddler’s clothes or would it be better to hang them out of reach?  And will a color-coordinated closet just make more work for you if you are now the only one who can put away the clothes?

Is Insta Worthy Worth It?

Thoughtfully done, organizing can be a literal game changer.  It can save you money, aggravation, and stress.  So try not to fall into the social media trap of beautiful photos equating to happiness, and just do what is best for you.

And, of course, we’re always here to help!