When choosing any kind of organizational system, be sure that the method you choose is maintainable by everyone who will be using it. When it comes to toys, this means that your children should find the system easy to use. When it comes to the bathroom sink or dresser you share with your spouse, this means that the system is user-friendly for both of you. If a system is maintainable by only some users, you have a few choices:
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Agree that those who like the system will not complain about picking up after those who find it difficult
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Live with the mess
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Argue a lot!
I personally do not like any of those choices, so I strive to implement organizational tools that are easy for everyone!
Ideally, an organizational system will be attractive, easy to access, and easy to put away. Unfortunately, such systems do not always exist, so we have to make choices. I feel that these three features should be prioritized in this order:
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Easy to put away
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Easy to access
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Good appearance
You see, if the system looks nice, but is difficult to put things away in, the system will not be used. While the container might be pretty, the mess of things that are not put away will not! If items are easily accessible but difficult to put away, my family and I will be less likely to put things where they belong. When items are not be in the right place, they will actually be more difficult to access. However, if I make items easy to put away, the system will be used, and even if my family has to rummage through a box for a minute to find what they are looking for, they will find it when they need it.
Allow me to share a practical example: Shoes. I have seen the most wonderful shoe racks that could be used in our closets to line up shoes in pretty little rows. If used properly, anyone could easily scan the shoe rack to find exactly the shoe being sought, sitting right there next to it's shoe-mate. The problem is, that while I would love a system like this, lining up shoes would be maintainable for only a few members of my family. The others would find the process to be pure torture! They would toss shoes in the closet, about a foot away from the designated spot. Maybe they wouldn't even bother with the closet since they know that they won't do it “right” anyhow. If they are on a different floor of the house, they may leave the shoes at random spots throughout the living room or kitchen. This is an example of a system that is not maintainable by all who use it because it breaks the first priority: Ease of putting away.
Let's now imagine that instead of a shoe rack, I place a large, clear bin in everyone's closet. When they put shoes away, they can simply toss them in the bin. Knowing that we may not always want to march up the steps whenever we take off our shoes, let's say we put another container on the first floor that the whole family can toss shoes in temporarily. Let's see how this system measures up with our list of priorities:
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Ease of putting away: Excellent. Shoe containers are available on every floor of the home. Shoes can be tossed in the containers; there is no tedium in lining up shoes.
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Ease of access: Good. When we need a pair of shoes, we may have to dig to the bottom of our shoe bin, but we can usually find both shoes in less than a minute. Two minutes if we have to check the other shoe basket.
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Appearance: Acceptable. The shoes may not be all lined up, but they are contained in one spot, not scattered about.
This second system places first priority on making it easy to put the shoes away. This makes the system easily maintainable by everyone in the family.
