The Container Conundrum

Oh, The Container Store. It’s a magical place, isn’t it? Even my local dollar store has TONS of colorful bins of all shapes and sizes. Just seeing all of the potential for organizing STUFF used to set my heart aflutter.

Will containers solve your “stuff” problem?

Before you fall in the trap of organizational bin bliss - STOP! No matter how pretty or color-coded your containers are, they aren’t actually helping you be more organized, and they certainly aren’t helping with your too-much-stuff problem. Here is why:

You come home from The Container Store, arms full of pretty bins, and you are overjoyed at how your office will soon look like Martha Stewart came in and waved her magic wand. You begin sorting all of your stuff into piles, happily filling your new containers. With everything categorized, you pop the lids on, put the bins on the shelf, and shazam! You are organized, right?

WRONG. You simply just moved all of the things somewhere else (facepalm). "Organizing" doesn't solve the real problem (which is too much stuff); it’s just a band aid solution that creates more work down the road.

The mess and clutter is still there, lurking under a lid, and it will slowly creep back out onto counters and into drawers, putting you right back where you started. Even worse, all that clutter is now out of sight (yay?), but it is also out of mind. You will forget what is in there, and maybe even buy MORE stuff that you didn’t even need. See? I told you it was a trap!

Avoid Pretty-Container Syndrome

Containers trick us into thinking we are getting organized. But as we saw above, it’s just moving things around. What we really need to do is find a HOME for the things that MATTER, and get rid of the crap that doesn’t.

Do you really need a whole BIN of coloring pens, pencils and crayons? Or would one pack be enough? Do your kids have hundreds of Hot Wheels in a container under their beds, but they only play with the same handful?

I know that it can be overwhelming when dealing with all. of. the. things. That is why I like to encourage you to start small! So the next time you dream of hiding that pile of “stuff” in a bin, pause for a moment and ask yourself if you are actually organizing, or are HIDING the clutter, instead. When you take the time to fully declutter and simplify-"organizing' becomes a moot point. Instead, you have only what you need and can stop being a "stuff manager," spending all your days arranging and rearranging.

So tell me, Mama - have you fallen prey to pretty-container syndrome? If so, download my FREE Radiant Mom Starter Kit! It’s filled with ideas, inspiration, and step-by-step tools to kick the STUFF to the curb for good.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE COPY!!

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