I Bought New Storage Baskets But I am Still Not Organized!

Just how do those trendy new storage baskets help you to achieve control if they hold items that have no relationship to one another? Isn't that why "junk drawers" are so frustrating? All the items in there have no relationship to one another except perhaps for the fact that they are are homeless and have no where else to go.

This brings us the the next principle for organized living........

I have seen this principle listed in many sources giving advice and suggestions for an organized home, but I have never seen an explanation as to what it actually means. Could it be that it is assumed that we all know what like with like means?

Being able to see relationships between things and set up categories is the essence behind the guideline "sort like with like". It is also an essential skill for organized living.

Let's explore this idea a bit further with this example.

Sally has some homeless stuff hanging around and she is tired of not being able to find the items she needs at the exact time she needs them so she decides to get organized and purchases some nice new storage baskets. Sally is unaware of the principle "sort like with like" and has never been very good at seeing relationships between items, but she has new baskets and she is determined to be organized!

Sally carefully fills the new baskets with her stuff, and this is what they look like

Basket 1	Basket 2	Basket 3	Basket 4
hair brush hair elastics 4 colored pencils	hair comb sewing needles 2 permanent markers	thread stack of "post it" notes paper scissors hair gel	3 pens small container of hair spray paper clips 5 blank envelopes

Instead of having a "junk" drawer, Sally has created 4 "junk storage baskets". They are all filled with items that have no relationship to one another. If Sally were proceed with the task of doing her daughter's hair she would have to search through several baskets to be able to find all the supplies she needs to brush her child's hair and make a simple ponytail.

She has not achieved control of her supplies at all and she is still doomed to searching through a bunch of stuff to be able to find everything she needs for one singular function of "doing hair".

Lets see what Sally's baskets would hold if the items were sorted like with like:

Basket 1	Basket 2	Basket 3	Basket 4
hair brush hair elastics hair comb hair gel small container of hair spray	stack of "post it" notes paper scissors 3 pens paper clips 5 blank envelopes 2 permanent markers 4 colored pencils	thread sewing needles

WOW!

Now when Sally goes to do her child's hair she grabs one basket and everything she needs is in there! Even her child could find the right supplies. It is also easier for Sally (or her daughter) to clean up as everything goes back in the basket and they are more likely to be there the next time Sally needs them...... now that is control!

And remember Control is the Goal!


There is one other obvious benefit from this little bit of analysis. If Sally had first proceeded to sort the items "like with like" and then proceeded to "create a place for  everything................." she could have saved herself the cost of the extra storage basket.

But How to Sort?

What criteria are to be used when sorting like with like?

A random assortment of objects may have several characteristics in common including color, size, and function. However, Sally's example shows that the most useful way of sorting items is to sort by function. So we can see that a good way to achieve control is to have items that are used for a particular function stored together. It doesn't matter if you are cleaning, doing the dishes, doing the laundry, or doing your daughter's hair. If all the equipment is stored together you have created many benefits for yourself including:

• less frustration, everything is right there when you need it


• easier cleanup as all items go back into the container


• less loss and wastage,everything goes back into the storage basket after use


• less duplication of items because nothing gets misplaced

And perhaps most important of all........ you are more likely to be in control!

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