There are several misconceptions that people often have about organization that are important to recognize if you are trying to get a space in order. One big one is the idea that if you are organized, you must also be neat or your house must be clean. On the other hand, people who are neat or very clean are often mistaken for being organized.
In fact, there is a difference between being "neat", being "clean", and being "organized". While these three things are certainly complimentary skills, and while there are those who embody all three characteristics beautifully, it is very common to be neat without being clean or organized, clean without being neat or organized, or organized without being neat or clean!
When I think of someone who is merely "neat" (let's call her Neat Nadine) I think of someone who keeps her space fairly cleared of clutter. Nadine probably keeps the beds made, and her laundry in the hamper rather than on the floor. Nadine can make her home presentable for guests quite quickly. However, she may do that by putting things in drawers or closets haphazardly without any real system. Items are not necessarily always put in the same place, but rather are put wherever they will fit. Nadine may also achieve a neat look by simply not having many belongings. Her house is always presentable and pleasant to visit, but isn't necessarily clean and she may not have any system in place for storing her belongings.
Someone who is "clean" ("Clean Carl" - aren't these names fun?) is much more interested in keeping surfaces free of dirt or grime, keeping dishes washed and bathrooms sparkling. However, he may not feel any particular need to have the beds made, or his dresser or countertops cleared of clutter. Clutter is fine with Carl - he just wants to know that his house is not dirty.
And then there's the "organized" one ("Organized Olivia"). Olivia likes to know exactly where to find something when she needs it - everything has a "home" in her home. She is the one who always has a band-aid in her purse, snacks in her car, and can point you to the exact shelf in her kitchen where you will always find a box of macaroni and cheese. However, Olivia may not mind that the place you will always find the macaroni and cheese is on a grimy shelf, or that her coat is always, without exception, on the arm of the sofa. Carl would never have macaroni on a grimy shelf (of course, he might not even know whether or not he HAS any macaroni at all), and Nadine would be loathe to leave her coats lying on the sofa in the living room (a guest might pop in and want to sit there - she would say that any closet would do the job to hide that coat!).
Being neat, clean, and organized are all different. However, they are complementary skills, and being good at one will make it fairly easy to learn the others, if you wish to do so. It is just a matter of adding little steps to your already established routines. This is a case of using your strengths to help develop your "weaker" areas. If you are already strong in one of these areas and would like to develop skills in another, you will add one small step to your already established routine until that step is a habit and comes easily. After that step has been incorporated, you can add another.
For example, if you are Clean Carl, where you wish for all of your surfaces to be clean, you can add a new habit to your routine by putting things away as you clear surfaces to be washed. You can start with one area of your home - maybe the kitchen, which is usually a little more organized because of the nature of standard cabinetry and appliances. Once you feel confident that you have met your goals there, you can apply the same technique to another room of the house.
If you are already a Neat Nadine, it won't be too difficult to add a new habit of wiping down surfaces after you have cleared them of clutter. If you are already Organized Olivia, you will probably have little trouble adjusting your home to find more discreet places to house certain items or to adjust your routine to ensure that you are able to wipe down or vacuum more often.
Finding a logical home for your belongings is a little bit more difficult, and requires some deliberate thought, but it is certainly doable and not difficult to learn. My tip for today as you try to find a home for an item is: "Don't think about where you should put it. Think about where you will be when you need to retrieve it. If you will be running out the door when you need this item, then you should store it near the door you will be running through. It's all about retrieval!" I think I will write an entire entry about that next week! Stay tuned!
Balance your life,
Nora
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