Can You Be Too Organized?

I just read an article on www.Lifehack.org that I would write myself except now it's been done.  Another one of those articles that make me feel like I have found another member of "my tribe" those of us who share the same fundamental beliefs about organizing. 

Not only do I agree completely that you CAN be TOO organized, Lorie Marrero , Professional Organizer and creator of The Clutter Diet, developed the coolest acronym using the word NEATER!  I might have to license it from her or something because it so perfectly and succintly describes my approach to organizing.

Check this quote out!

"I would not want to aspire to perfection, as it is an unattainable and futile goal. Instead we teach people to aspire to be NEATER*:

• Not perfect, but…
• Effective — your systems work well for you and your family
• Always improving- -you look for how to do things smarter, faster, and better
• True to your style– you work with your own preferences, not someone else’s standards
• Efficient– your systems minimize waste of time and energy
• Ready for anything– you are well-prepared with what you need for life and work

*NEATER acronym © 2005-2007, LivingOrder, Inc.

If you read through my services website and my organizing library, you will find all those concepts.  But there is it in one "neat" little package.  I've tried to come up with an acronym for NEAT LIVING that would summarize my approach, but never liked anything I came up with!  And there it is.  It's already been done!

Lori gives great examples of how you can become TOO organized. For example, you can have too many plastic containers in your pantry!  It can get annoying having to constantly transfer your food to containers.  I once saw an organizing show where nearly every single thing in the kitchen was transferred to matching containers. Including every single spice and herb.  And then they all had to be labeled!  And they weren't even easy to use containers!  They just wanted everything to look perfect.  That to me was way overboard.  If the look of all those containers makes it all worthwhile and motivates you to stay organized, go for it.  But at least make sure the containers are really easy to open and have wide mouths that so you can scoop the contents out easily. My favorites are Snapware (shown above) I get them at www.Target.com

FYI, I don't recommend all Snapware products - like the ones where you have to close all four sides called MODS (shown below) - to me they are really annoying and take too long to open and close. But if you don't mind that - they do keep things airtight!

Comments

[Lorie Marrero]

Hey, thanks so much! I am flattered that you liked our acronym so much! I appreciate the mention...

- Lorie

[Jessica Duquette]

I couldn't agree with you (and Lorie) more, Ariane! I tell that to clients all the time: I am not a "Martha Stewart" organizer, to me, it's more important to create systems that work and flow and are easy to maintain, then to get your pantry looking photo-shoot ready.

Many people set unrealistic standards for themselves and end up frustrated and stressed out because they can't keep up with their own perfectionism. Perfectionism KILLS!

The same goes for creating a filing system, many people who have mountains of paper clutter have that because their files are way way way too micromanaged. I am lazy, I make my file names broad and useful. Is is an art? Yes, but you can get better at it all the time.

In fact, just last night I created a folder that I thought was a brilliant solution (if I may say so, myself!) to a pile of papers that has been shifting around my desk for months, maybe even YEARS, because I never knew where to put it.

I finally came up with the file name WISDOM. Now I have a place for all those thoughts that people send me or that I run across that touch my heart or my mind, that I don't want to toss, but that doesn't quite fit into its own category.

Ahhhhhhhh, did I sleep well last night!

thanks for who you are,

warmly,

Jessica from It's Not About Your Stuff

[Ariane Benefit]

Thanks Lorie and Jessica for your comments! Jessica - I totally agree that you don't need to micromanage paper. I love your idea of a Wisdom folder!!

[Cynthia Friedlob, The Thoughtful Consumer]

So I should probably expand my system from three files labeled "Do It," "Do It Now," and "Do It Now - Emergency!"?

Actually, over the years I have expanded from there so things aren't quite as dire as they could have been. I like Jessica's "Wisdom" file and I think it may be similar to the one I call "Cool Stuff."

I also have a file dedicated to cartoons. It's small (I have a highly selective sense of humor!), but on a day when I'm stuck filing and hating it, sometimes it's nice to pull out the cartoons and get a chuckle from a vintage "Doonesbury" strip or a New Yorker classic.

Love the N.E.A.T.E.R. acronym.

[Ariane Benefit]

Cynthia, those are great ideas! Love the trilogy of Do It Files and the Cool Stuff folder. Any way you give things a home where you can find them again is a "good" way to organize!

Sounds like you need to find a way to make filing lot easier! For example,keeping your files handy to your work area is a great way to be able to instantly file papers and NOT have to file them "later". For me, putting off filing for later never happens, so I file everything immediately. And most of it is filed to the recycle bin which is right under my desk! : )

Thanks for your comment!

[Brandie Kajino]

I loved this article too! How funny, since I posted on this same thing! :) It's such a crazy idea that our houses or offices have to look like the cover of a shelter magazine. Keeps perfectionists from getting started, and not-so-perfectionists feeling overwhelmed! Thanks for your post!

[Monica Ricci]

HELLO MY PEOPLE! :) I am always reminding my clients and audiences that aesthetic perfection is often high maintenance and a setup for failure. I would rather a system be simple, convenient and maybe a smidge UNpretty and be FUNCTIONAL than to set up a gorgeous, highly detailed, high maintenance system that gets abandoned in the first month.
~Monica

[Ariane Benefit]

Thanks for your comments Brandie & Monica! It's so nice to know that others in my organizing "tribe" feel the same way I do.

It always makes me said when I encounter people seeking the perfection they see in the media. Whether in their homes or in their bodies, seeking perfection is a no-win proposition that can be truly paralyzing and very painful. Most people are shocked to learn that many of the most cluttered and disorganized households are run by overwhelmed perfectionists. : )

[Ariane Benefit]

Thank You Lorie!