I love thinking about things in different ways. It helps rewire my brain or at least get it out of the same old rut.
I read this fascinating article in The Washington Post titled “Humans solve problems by adding complexity, even when it’s against our best interests” It talks about the findings of a recent experiment where researchers found that “We tend to solve problems by adding things together rather than taking things away, even when doing so goes against our best interests.”
When do you tend to add when it would be better/easier to take away? For me, it’s miniature containers. It’s so dang cute when it’s super small, but most of the time it takes up more space than it saves.
When you think about it, it’s so true. I’ve seen this happen over and over in my own life and we do this when we organize as well. We have cute containers and so we want to fill them instead of analyzing what we have to see if we even need the stuff or the container.
Most of the time the way to have more space is to reduce the amount in the space. It’s all about physics and mass. And while containers can often be helpful, they can also get in the way.
When I Organize with Clients
I tell them not to buy any organizing containers until after we’ve decluttered. Ninety percent of the time we end up with organizing containers left over by the end of a session. If you do need a specific container then you get it after you have edited what you have.
Look at a space that has been frustrating you. Why isn’t it working? Our brain naturally wants to add things, but is there anything you can remove that will solve the problem? Maybe you’re trying to have a space fill too many roles.
You can read more about mindset in these posts: The Most Important Questions to Ask Your Self, What Will I Really Use?, 6 Benefits of Being Organized.
If you want one-on-one help organizing a space, call me at 208.736.3306 for a free consultation. I’d love to help you on your organizational journey. Virtual options are also available