I am messy! There's no doubt about that! And yet...

Last night, when my cousin called and asked if I had something she wanted to borrow,
1) not only did I know I had it,
2) I knew exactly where it was located (on a shelf in the disaster area that is my 3rd room closet, in a container that was labeled with the contents), AND
3) I was able to retrieve it in less than 2 minutes, while she was still explaining why she needed it!

Plus, I didn't have to move anything out of the way to retrieve what was needed.

But if anyone else had looked in the 3rd room closet, which is my crafts/storage closet, all s/he would have seen would have been a big pile of stuff shoved in there!

My crafts/storage closet isn't neatly arranged with containers in a row on the shelves (that's my dream closet). The closet isn't big enough for all what I store in there, to have it neatly arranged like that. So, things are piled one on top of the other and it looks cluttered and messy.

And yet...isn't knowing what you have and being able to retrieve it in a reasonable amount of time, one of the definitions of being organized?

Is it possible to be both messy and organized?

Bless you aren't messy, just unique,and knowing where something is is wonderful! YEA for you!

Yes, it is! And I tell people that all the time. If you can lay your hand on what you need within a few minutes EVERY TIME, or most times, you are totally "organized" in a sense.

My other big "test" is could you walk around your house in the dark and not knock stuff over or hurt yourself trying to get from place to place?

In my opinion, being organized isn't about everything being perfectly lined up, in alphabetical order and in nice matching, color coded boxes. Some of us prefer that though! LOL

There are different levels of organization, as with anything. Another question to ask yourself is could your DD have found that item if she needed to? Are the things in your house in places that make sense?

I'll let you in on a secret, as long as you don't tell my clients. My office is a mess right now. I decided about 2 weeks ago that I'm going to take EVERYTHING out of here this month, super clean the whole room, purge some stuff and put the rest back. I think that decision has led to a bit of being lax on my part about putting things away. Can I still find everything though? Yes.

I think most of us long for that "Martha" look of perfectly matched containers which are perfectly arranaged & labeled, but most of us also live in the real world. Life is messy in the real world, especially for those who wear many hats.

If you can find things in with a minimum of fuss & bother, you are organized. Being organized & being perfect are not the same thing.

The first thing I tell clients who are worried their house is a mess is: No one actually lives in the Pottery Barn catalog!

Yes Martha and Pottery barn. Good examples and not realistic!

I was just thinking about the idea that life doesn't exist on the pages of a catalog or magazine.

But more importantly its about knowing that there are always going to be areas that could be more organized or could use a new system but that its more important to have basic systems in place and to recognize what is most important to you and your family?

If you spend the bulk of time in the family room that it might be best to have a well organized bookcase and paper system vs. an organized closet in a spare bedroom.

We are always our own harshest critics too and I think we need to relax and take it easier on ourselves.

Bless, kudos, WooooooooHooooooo, take a bow. There is a huge difference between a staged house and a home. The whole point is to have what you need, when you need it and able to retrieve it in a reasonable time frame without having to move everything out of the closet/cupboard to get it!

I like to look at the pictures but I'd never want to live in a Martha Stewart type home where the wrong crease in a pillow sets the host in a tizzy.

I would say that a place is organized when you can find what you need when you want it regardless of what the area looks like. Bless, that is the scenario that you described.

Like others have said, "show homes" may look nice in the pictures but I would never want to live in one. I would love to get my house to the place where I can find what I want when I want it - who cares if the containers match!

I generally know what I have and, most of the time, I can retrieve it without any problems.

And yes, I can walk around the house in the dark without knocking things over.

Could my DD have found the item if she needed to? Probably not without asking me if we had that item and where I kept it.

Well, maybe she would have found it on her own, but only after some searching. It was a sewing-related item, so, she would have known to search in the 3rd room, either in my desk drawers where some of the sewing supplies like thread are kept, or in the closet where other crafts/sewing supplies are kept. But there isn't anything that says "Elastics & Zippers are on Shelf 2, Buttons and Bows on Shelf 3, Laces and Ribbons on Shelf 4, Yarn and Knitting Needles on Shelf 5, Spools of Thread - in desk drawer 2, Embroidery Floss on Shelf 2", etc. That list of where my crafts/sewing supplies are kept is filed in my brain.

Ah, but once she does locate the box with the buttons, she will find that the buttons are separated by color and type, in neat little plastic zipper bags!

Good for you Bless. My friends make fun of me when I bring out my beads....they are stored by color and type! That is a GONer thing, don't you think?

Sometimes in my organizing journey, I forget to update my brain when I move things....and when I find them, I think, oh, yes, I did move them! LOL

As tweeted by a very well known organizer today: If u can find what ur looking for when u need it & are happy in ur space, then u are #organized

oh Diana, I get the updating my brain comment! I still remember where I used to put an item in my old house, but can't seem to find it in my new appartment! Even though I've been here for 3 years.

I find I'm messy on top and organized in deep.

Glad to see I have company Bubblegum!