The Biggest Organizing Mistakes People Make.

Why does organizing on your own not always work?  There are many reasons, but here are some of the top organizing mistakes we see in clients' homes:

Top Mistake to Avoid: 
Buying organizing products without measuring.  

How many times have you been shopping and found the cutest containers that you just know will fix all of your organizing problems? If the answer to this question is "often" but you haven't measured the space first, you’re going to end up with some super cute containers that might just add to the clutter in your home.  Measure your space first and then go shopping! 

Second Mistake to Avoid:
Not returning the organizing product that doesn’t work. 

So you didn’t take the advice of the first tip and made some impulse purchases of items you felt would work perfectly in the space you want to organize and they don’t fit.  They’re too deep, they’re too tall, they don’t hold the entire category you need them to, etc.  But then you fall into the fatal trap that so many Americans fall into: you never return them!  These unused items just end up becoming more clutter in your home and a loss of money.  Don’t fall victim to this, and return those containers!  Get your money back and invest in containers that will get the job done.

Third Mistake to Avoid:
Not categorizing your items that are in containers.

This completely defeats the purpose of containing your belongings! To better utilize your organizing products, sort like-with-like and contain each category in a container.  Micro-sorting works best for categories you’re always going to have in your home, not categories that rotate or change. Sort like with like throughout your home and you’ll start to see organized spaces emerging throughout.  

Fourth Mistake to Avoid:
Not leaving enough time to complete the project.

People often underestimate how long it takes to thoroughly organize a space.  We as professionals can estimate how long a project will take, but even those estimates are just our best guess because unforeseen things can pop up!  When you organize on your own you want to be very generous with the amount of time you leave in your schedule to complete it.  The volume of stuff in a space and the speed at which you can make decisions during purging influences it greatly.  When in doubt, block off more time than you think you’ll need by at least double and that will likely allow you to get closer to finishing the space thoroughly.
  
Fifth Mistake to Avoid:
Getting distracted. 

There are a lot of things that can distract you when you’re attempting to organize.  Your cell phone is the top offender.  Try putting your phone on silent and only allow contacts that would call or text if there were an emergency to come through.  Traveling down memory lane while purging often also distracts people. Try not to get derailed by sharing pictures via text message to family and friends, and tell yourself you can revisit them when you're finished! Another way that people will get distracted is by putting away things that belong in other rooms mid-project.  Instead, create a redistribution container for each floor of the house so that you can put what you find in it and put it away once you’re totally done organizing that room.

Sixth Mistake to Avoid:
Not labeling.

Labels are a map, if everyone in the home can read the map they will get to the same destination: an organized home.  Often people will skip labeling when organizing on their own and this makes it hard to maintain the space especially when multiple people are using the space.  It helps you remember where things go and makes it easier to find things when you need them. Above all, it keeps everyone on the same page.  Labels are our friend, we strongly encourage you to label!

Seventh Mistake to Avoid:
Not explaining the organization to everyone else who lives in the home.

When we come into someone’s home and organize a space, we end with the walk-through to show them where everything ended up, the changes we made and to explain why we made them.  This is imperative for you to do when you organize on your own with your family.  This will help them feel included, answer any questions they may have when looking for something and allows you to explain why maintaining the organization is important to you.  Once you’re done organizing a space show it off and do a walk-through with the rest of the family, get them excited about the newly organized space!

Eighth Mistake to Avoid:
Expecting organizing to be a one-and-done type of situation.

Too often people will say to me, “So I don’t have to do this for another twenty years, right?”  The answer is no, you need to organize every day to maintain the work and money you’ve put into it!  Organizing requires maintenance.  Just like you need to brush your teeth at least twice a day to maintain good dental hygiene you need to put things away, throw trash away right away, and purge unwanted items regularly to maintain the hygiene of your home.  It is better to accept this than to avoid it, it becomes almost meditative when you get in the groove of just making it part of your day.  Outer order creates inner calm and the only way to get there is by working at it every day.

Ninth Mistake to Avoid:
Not dropping off donations.
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This is such a common mistake that there are memes about it.  We recommend doing a porch pickup or blocking off a time and date on your calendar for when you’re going to drop them off and stick to that as if it’s an appointment.  Don’t let those donations clutter up your mudroom, garage, or car any longer!  You’ll feel so much better for it.
If you have made some of these mistakes in the past, that’s okay!  The idea of this is to help you understand why organizing on your own may not be working and to give you ways to remedy that.  If you start avoiding these mistakes you’ll find that your home is more organized, you’ll start saving money and you help others faster by getting your donations to them sooner.
   
Happy organizing!
Melissa Fortino