the only organizational tip you'll ever need!

Of course, that’s not entirely true, but it sure makes a good headline!

I got this tip at my MOMS group.  A lady was giving an introduction (she wasn’t even the main speaker) and happened to mention a tip she’d heard from someone else that had always stuck with her.  Well, now it’s stuck with me, too.

So brace yourselves, here is The Only Organizational Tip You’ll Ever Need! (or TOOTYEN! for short):

“Put things away in the hard place.”

 You might be thinking?  What?  That’s it?  What does that even mean?  All it means is that when your picking up your house or re-organizing a closet, or whatever, that you put everything away in its hardest and final destination.  

So, let’s say I just folded a load of laundry.  Instead of setting the basket of folded clothes on the bed to be put away later, just go ahead and immediately put it in its hardest place (i.e. the actual drawers).

Or, I need to take some bills down to Tom’s office.  Instead of moving them from the desk to the counter (because the counter is closer to his office than the desk), just take them all the way down to his office.

Putting things in the hard place right away eliminates clutter and chaos.  Of course, we all know that one of the reasons things don’t get put all the way away is because we’re busy, we get interrupted, etc.  

But I’ve found that even when I’m not being interrupted I sometimes still will only do half of a job.  So this little phrase helps remind me to put things all the way away. 

It’s also helpful because some things don’t yet have an “away” spot.  So I might be staring at stack of misc. stuff and think, “There’s no place for this.”  Then I have to make a place for it.  And not just shove it somewhere so that I don’t have to look at the pile.  Put it in the hard place.  A place that that misc stuff can call its home.  A final destination.

The final destination might be the trash can or the Goodwill store.

A tidbit about me: I’m not enamored with organization.  I take no particular delight in tubs and label makers.  But I do loathe clutter and chaos.  So, this is my one and only organizational tip.  

I must say, it works pretty well.

For someone who really cares about organization and “best practices” in all areas of life, check out Matt Perman’s What’s Best Next.  He’s got some great articles.  Only don’t forget this one jewel that I’ve offered!  Put things in the hard place!

Do you have any tips to share?

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