New Solutions to Old Problems (and the purchases that made them possible)

I’ve talked a lot about how, since our recent reorganization efforts, we’ve been able to keep the house tidy much longer than ever before. I think this is because I have been very pleasantly surprised to find some new solutions to old, persistent organizational problems recently. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve faced a problem and then just tackled it in the same way as always, only to find, after a while, that I’m failing at it again.

And maybe that does make sense, because some systems in my life serve me very well. My workout regimen generally works for me and I NEVER fall off the 4-5x a week workout regime I set myself. I don’t even have to think about it, it just happens (well I very much do have to think about it, I am always mentally taking note of when I’m going to work out and what I’ll do, but I don’t have to THINK about thinking about it, I just get it done.)

But the reality is that every big change I’ve made on the home front has required I try something radically different. The first big success was when we MarieKondo’ed the house. Taking all of everything in a category and going through it all at once was immensely helpful. We did that years ago and while the house always goes back to being messy and brimming with too much stuff, it’s never felt as hopeless as it did before that massive purge. That was definitely a turning point for us (and I still fold my clothes like she suggests!)

This time we didn’t do anything quite as drastic as a Marie Kondo purge, but we are tackling persistent problems in new ways, which makes me think maybe this time the affects will stick, or at least last longer.

The hallway closet is definitely one of those areas that I feel renewed hope about. Our house has very little built-in storage and one of the few closets is a very narrow space between the stairs and our daughter’s bedroom. Luckily the Billy basket shelves from IKEA fit in there, and I’ve repurposed some long, narrow boxes to better utilize the shelves, so we are able to use most of the space. But no matter how many times I’ve pulled it all out and reorganized it, it’s always ended up messy and it’s never been a space anyone else could really access. So if something was in there that someone else needed, I had to go find it.

Now, with the hanging door organizer, I can finally say, it’s in the closet; Look for the clear pouch that says “bandaids”. Because ALL THE POUCHES HAVE A LABEL! And even if what they want is in a drawer, now the drawers aren’t overflowing so they can see the extra toothpastes and the medicines. (The medicines actually got moved to the hall closet from the kitchen pantry, where they were DRIVING MY HUSBAND CRAZY for ten years. Just that simple move feels like a giant win.

But back to the labels. One of the things I purchased for this organizing attempt was a label maker. More than half of the professional organizers in Organized Living listed a label maker in their essential tool kit, and I found one on sale so I went for it. At first I used it quite sparringly, but then I realized that when I was forced to articulate what was in a box or drawer, I was much better at determining what should stay and what should go. Labeling also helps me return items to their spaces. And, in time, I hope it will help my family find what they need. So now I put labels on pretty much everything, even drawers that only I use and no one else really sees. The purpose is not so much to let other people know what is in a spot, but to remind myself.

There are more changes I want to make. I want to get a slat wall for the garage; the giant expanse at the back, where we pull the car in, has always felt under utilized and we have so many helmets and other bicycle accoutrements that could hang from one there. And guess I’m just newly inspired to think about different ways I can tackle old problems. I’m still at a loss in some spaces (laundry area in the garage – I’m looking at you!) but I finally feel hopeful that a different solution might be available if I keep looking (actually, I hung an accordion drying rack in the laundry area not too long ago and that was an absolute game changer).

These are some more the things I bought so we could tackle old problems in new ways. Most books about decluttering, including Organized Living (and Gill’s first book, Minimalista) urge you not to buy new storage containers, and at first I tried to follow that guidance. But when I despaired about reorganizing the tools or hall closet for the umpteenth time, I decided that trying something new was in order.

I will admit that I have been very extrinsically motivated to keep the house tidy this past month. I had so much on my plate without adding “re-organize everything you already worked on” to it. My desire to just keep moving forward, without needing to circle back, in my to-do lists was highly motivating. I was very good about completing tasks (not leaving items to put back later), and every time I walked through a room I identified stuff that didn’t belong and dealt with it immediately. Of course it is easy to identify items that need to be dealt with when the rest of the room is tidy, and it takes less time to put stuff away when I know where it goes.

I also found that I have been quicker to identify lingering issues and solve them, instead of just letting the problem persist. Little things like, I hate when my hair ties get tangles on them; I used to leave them all over and then finally gather up to cut the hair off a bunch at once, so I could put them into their little dish (a repurposed detergent measure). They were driving me crazy so I just got another little dish to keep the ones that needed attention until I was ready to give them that attention. Such a small fix, but I never thought to do it until now.

Maybe they had been the biggest change in mindset; the desire to keep everything neat has motivated me to just keep finding new ways to solve old problems. And having a tidy house as a baseline has helped me recognize which problems are persistent and need new solutions.

We left the house this morning ready for the cleaning person to come, and then our in-laws to stay. I have to say, it looks really nice. I have not felt so good about walking away from my house in a long while.

Thanks for taking this journey with me. I bet you’re all wondering what I’ll write about now that it’s over. 🤣 I definitely get fixated on a thing, that is for sure. At least this project has been, for the most part, a really positive one.