Like Porn for Organizers

Recently, I picked up a copy of the magazine “Secrets of Getting Organized”, which is put out every spring by Better Homes and Gardens Special Publications. I had been included in an article in this magazine in the past, and was curious to see which of my colleagues were being quoted this year.

The photos in this magazine were fantastic. Every home looked pristine and relaxing. The organizing ideas were creative and the decor color-coordinated. That’s when it hit me.

Magazines like these are like porn for organizers.

In magazines like this one and “Real Simple”, homes never look like real people’s homes. There are no piles of papers waited to be processed, no unopened mail. There are no wires connected to the electronics. In the closets, there are inches between each item of hanging clothing. There is more than enough time to make crafty organizing containers.

Real people just don’t live like this. It’s a fantasy, just like porn is a fantasy. Even Professional Organizers like me could not maintain a house that looks that pristine. Life tends to get in the way. And everyone has to plug in their electronics.

If magazines like that are making you feel inadequate, take this advice: run, don’t walk, to the nearest recycling bin and get them out of your life. Don’t try to organize to an impossible standard. If you can find everything you own when you need it, you’re organized enough. If you can’t, then give me a call.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published.  Required fields are marked *