Why You Don't Just Need a System

I’ve been helping people get organized for almost 10 years and one thing that I hear regularly is - I just need a “system".

No, a “system” is the last thing you need right now. Seriously.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been hired by clients that implemented a system and realized it did not work. We’d go through an entire wall (or rooms) of these “systems”. Usually the client has spend a lot of time and money to implement a “system”. Sometimes it’s custom built. Sometimes it’s store purchased shelves and bins. Sometimes it’s organized by category and nicely labelled. Sometimes it just looks tidy from the outside but no one knows what is inside each box. I’ve even seen an entire wall of bins all labelled miscellaneous.

Whatever the situation is, the result is almost always the same: They end up discarding most of it.

People say clutter is delayed decisions. A “system” is often just organized clutter. If you think you need more storage, trust me, you don’t need more storage. What you need is to be honest with yourself about which of these items in your home is still sparking joy and supporting you to live your best life. That is a much harder question to answer.

Will you ever need a system? Maybe, but it comes after you finish discarding and it’s always much simpler than you think.