The best organizing system

28 March 2014

Clients will often ask me, “What’s the best way to organize [fill in the blank]?” Oh, how I wish I had an easy-to-implement answer to that question. Because the real answer is this:

The best organizing system is the one that works for you.

That is, it’s a system that works with the way you think, that’s easy for you to maintain, and that has the possibility of becoming second nature to you.

And the trouble with that is that the best organizing system for me, or for your best friend, may not be the best organizing system for you.

Most of my clients have tried implementing many systems by the time they call me in for help. I know I tried many, many systems over the years. And I still switch things up occasionally.

So when a client asks me that question, all I can do is make suggestions, see which ones make her eyes light up or her head nod, and then try implementing those. And then we tweak and sometimes completely overhaul until we come up with system that works. At least for the moment.

Because here’s the other thing: Organizing systems need to change when your life changes. And life is always changing.

So there’s no such thing as the best organizing system. Don’t even try to find it. Instead focus on finding a great system that works for you at this particular stage of your life or business.

Tagged with: organizing systems

Comments

I completely agree! Sometimes my clients feel as though they are failing if they observed a system that worked great for a long time is no longer keeping their space maintained… Usually after some soul searching it becomes evident that it was a life circumstance that triggered the loss of effectiveness in the system…the system needed to evolve a bit with the new season of life. Getting and staying organized is a journey for sure! :)

Heidi Leonard March 29, 2014 06:03 AM

Thanks for your comment, Heidi! I absolutely agree that getting and staying organized is a journey.

Janine Adams March 30, 2014 04:09 PM

You’ve really hit the nail on the head. I often find that a system will work great for a while, but I need to switch it up when things change in my business or personal life, or sometimes it just becomes so routine that I get bored with it.

Janet Barclay August 28, 2014 02:15 PM

Thanks, Janet! I think it’s important to remember that if a system stops working it doesn’t mean it failed. Life changes and systems need to change with it!

Janine Adams August 28, 2014 02:38 PM

I so agree with this. When talking about where to keep an item with clients, I often ask “Where is the first place you would look for it?” After all, the system needs to work with their brain, right?

Seana Turner September 11, 2014 12:49 PM

I often get that question in regards to Time Management and To Do systems. I always say, “The best system is the one you USE.” Meaning, it has to work for you, like you said, but also you have to stop looking for “greener grass” at some point, and commit to learning and USING the system you have even if it’s not perfect (because none of them is perfect). I, like Janet, sometimes try something different just for the heck of it. Call it research.

Hazel Thornton February 16, 2015 07:03 PM

I have learned from experience with a special needs son that to say “Clean Up Your Room” was far to general. If I said ‘today, straighten out the top and middle drawer of your dresser and show it to me in one hour”, he could manage that. The task was broken down, there was a time limit and if he could not keep it neat for a week then I would re-assign it to him… In the meantime for my sanity, I would clean up the rest of his room while he was away at school! So my point is to say if you need an organizing system, I think the organization must be quite specific and you must impose a time limit. Starting with a small organization task and then finding it doesn’t work, is far easier to remedy or tweak than to have an entire area to do over.

Pam Caruso March 30, 2015 06:32 AM

Thanks for sharing your experience with your son, Pam! I agree that time limits (and a timer!) can very helpful. And breaking things down into small bites is the key to success for me.

Janine Adams March 30, 2015 11:41 AM