“Going Shopping” When Organizing

When I work with clients during an unpack and organize, before I begin to put the items away I like to sort, categorize, and present them as if the items were on display in a store.   I find that if you present the items in a visually pleasing way people tend to make quick and concise decisions about what stays and what goes.  Even kitchen utensils deserve to be presented in an appealing way. When a client sees that they have 10 spatulas and really only 2-3 that they use, it makes it easier to decide what goes.  I like to call it “going shopping”.  When I am doing a master closet that’s when things get really fun and you can be creative as well as efficient in the way you lead a client through the closet, by categorizing clothing in groups such as: workout, casual dress, fancy clothes, etc. I also like to practice this at home when I am seasonally changing out clothes in my closet or sorting my grown children’s left behind items in the mudroom.  Sometimes I will FaceTime them with all the items displayed so they can make quick decisions.  It may take a little more time on the front end, but it’s worth it in order to move through the decision making in a quick manner.  So next time you are organizing a part of your world, put everything on display and go shopping! 

Written by: Leslie Dietrich, Project Manager