Organizational Lies We All Bought Into That Need to End Now.
When I first started this little blog of mine, I felt like I needed to fit in with all of the other minimalist and organizational gurus out there. The thing is, I just couldn’t. It didn’t feel natural to me. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not for lack of trying. Oh, yes, I bought into some amazing organizational hacks in my day and when they would eventually fail, I couldn’t help but feel like there must be something fundamentally wrong with me. To help you save you from the same fate, I’m going to get really honest with you about one of the biggest organizational lies we let ourselves believe that actually keeps us working harder!
1. Instagram isn’t real, neither is Pinterest
When Pinterest first hit the world, I was hooked!
It was amazing pinning fashion styles I could never afford, saving houses that I would never afford, and pinning vacations that you bet your ass I have learned to afford because we only get one life and if we aren’t taking vacations, what the hell are we doing!?
Anyway.
As Pinterest evolved, so did I which means I was one of those moms saving all of the perfect kid bedroom photos. Now, I don’t want to call anyone out, here. As amazing those beautiful, white, minimalist children’s bedrooms are in theory…who the damn hell has a toddler that allows that kind of room to happen? No one that’s who.
Who pays the price for these perfectly curated bedrooms? Mom does. Maybe dad. Probably mom.
2. Aesthetically pleasing organization has a price
The truth is that maintaining an always aesthetically pleasing home, especially when it comes to organization, well, it has it’s price!
Sure, if you love the idea of maintaining your house and ensuring that it is always perfectly maintained, by all means, go for it. We are all different. If that is your version of living your best life, absolutely, do your thang.
Unfortunately for the rest of us, we try to fit under that umbrella with you when in reality, most of us would rather just not be in the rain at all. 10 Ways to Cut Your Cleaning Time in Half.
3. Organization is a one way ticket to Denialsville
Alright, yes, I have an “organized house.” It’s easy to maintain and everything is in it’s place.
I’m not bashing organization and saying that we all need to start living like monkey’s in a zoo.
What I am saying is that a lot of times we trick ourselves into thinking that if we just head to Home Goods and purchase 20 new organizational totes, and cute labels we are going to have instantly found the answer to all of our problems.
The truth is you just created 20+ new problems for yourself and robbed yourself of what could have been a truly pleasant Saturday.
Then, the second someone in your house (maybe even you), doesn’t manage to maintain your organizational Utopia you freak the flip out and blame everyone else for the chaos. Is minimalism even possible with kids?
4. Organization can be crazy simple (and not cost a thing).
Instead of shelling out your hard-earned money for something that will most likely just add to your stress pile, why not consider a method more like this:
- Eliminate, eliminate, eliminate – The less stuff you have the less you have to maintain
- Condense – What totes or bins can you combine together to reduce the space your clutter takes up
- Uncomplicated it – You don’t need a 3 tier toy organization system for your kids. You need one bin. Toss the toys in. If they don’t like one bin because they can’t get to the toys they want it might be time for a discussion on only owning what we value
I have spoken to many moms on the topic of organization with kids, and yes, we all have different circumstances, however, I know 2 things to be true:
- We as humans tend to overcomplicate what doesn’t need to be complicated
- We are always wanting to change what is
5. Clutter is always kinda there
At the end of the day, it’s important to remember not to measure your organizational standards based off a single snap shot someone took after perfectly curating their neatly organized pantry or bathroom sink.
Life will come with a certain amount of disorganization and chaos and the sooner we stop fighting it, the better.
This goes double for those of us with kids. Kids bring clutter. No, I’m not going to give you the “just embrace it, it won’t last forever” shpeel. I will tell you, however, to stop letting it siphon all of your energy and throw you into anxiety panics. It’s not worth it. If you do that, the clutter wins.
What I’m trying to say is…
If you believe spending your days organizing all of your stuff into neat little systems is going to serve you it won’t.
If you believe that everyone else has it together expect you, they don’t.
If you don’t like spending your time cleaning and decluttering, find ways to ensure you do less of both.
And don’t base your life off social media.
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