Top 8 Organizing Mistakes

1. Buy cleaver organizing tools/products too soon – buying the products won’t get you organized, just like simply going to the gym doesn’t make you lose weight. Instead: wait to see what you are keeping and where it will be stored to determine the size of the container.
2. Stack papers into neat piles – piling forces you to dig to look for what you want like a dog digging for his bone! Instead: Get the paper into vertical files.
3. The hide-n-seek syndrome. “I’ll put this here for now – it fits!” You might put the fancy platter you received as a wedding gift in the linen closet just because it fits. Or you might place the roll of 100 stamps in the junk drawer and forget all about them. You clear surfaces to make the space “look” organized. Instead: Store like items together and create a space or zone for common activities such as a mail center, party supplies and gift wrap center. Remember, being organized is not same as being neat.
4. Putting small items in a big space – these items are without boundaries. Things tend to spread and wander when they are not contained – just like our rear ends and hips when were not wearing good support! Instead: Use small containers to sort and store loose items in larger drawers and on shelves. Ziploc bags work great for corralling buttons, small toys, coupons, safety pins, rubber bands, etc.
5. Storing items out of reach – too difficult to put away, things just stay out. It’s too much work or inconvenient to put frequently used items back in their assigned home when you have to get a step stool, open the door, pray nothing falls on you while trying to avoid knocking things off the shelf. Instead: decide what you really need handy and put that item in your “prime real estate” – put high-use items in accessible storage spots, such as top drawers and shelves located between your hips and shoulders. Stash items you use infrequently in less accessible places­ for example, that really cool ice cream maker can live on a shelf in the garage or on the top shelf in your pantry.
6. Over-organize (files, books, CDs, and so on) – we’re afraid we might lose a piece of information so they create a file for that one specific piece of paper. Then we forget what we named the file and where we put it. Instead: KISS (Keep the system simple) – create sections for general categories such as finance, insurance, auto, health, and so on.
7. Waste perfectly good storage space – we tend to run out and buy more storage (furniture, containers, and fancy systems) thinking this will fix the problem. Instead: become a space hog! Use vertical space, the back of doors, and underneath beds. Utilize dead space. If you see empty air, you have space!
8. “I’ll take it!” – Just because there is a sale or someone offers you something, doesn’t mean you need to buy it or take it. Instead: reminder yourself that there will always be another deal. If you don’t have a use and a home for the item someone is giving you, it instantly becomes clutter!

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