In the organizing world, there's a saying: "A place for everything, and everything in its place." At first glance, it seems trite. But believe me, it has changed lives. Mine, at least.
The first part of the phrase is the more important of the two, the foundation. "A place for everything." What does that mean?
Having sufficient storage space is not enough. Just because all your stuff can fit in your house, or in your closet, or in your storage unit, does not mean that it has a place, at least not in any sense worth mentioning. No, each item of stuff has to have a specific place. But, you may ask, if everything fits in your house somewhere, doesn't it already have a specific place? Well, technically, yes. But some things make one place better than another. Here are a few of the criteria I've used in trying to find a place for everything.
Is it stored near where it is used? Obviously, it is preferable for cooking utensils to be in the kitchen. This makes it easier to get what you need when you need it—storing the remote controls by where you watch television makes life a little less frustrating. It may also help you remember things you might otherwise forget—having safety goggles stored right by your table saw will make it more likely that you'll use them.
Incidentally, what if you use one thing in two different places? For example, we use scissors at our information center for processing mail, but we also use scissors for creating cards, which we generally do in the living room. Our solution? Buy an extra pair to go with the decorative paper. Having only one place where each item can go helps us find scissors without having to check various "hangouts" each time.
There's a lot more to this to say, but this is a good starting point. With a place for everything, you know where to find it!
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