Put it backWhen you were a kid, how many times did you hear your mother tell you to, ‘put it back where it belongs’? I know I heard it all…the…time. What I didn’t realize then was that mom was trying to get me in the habit of being organized. It also helped her find that same item when she needed it. I’m not actually sure she realized what she was teaching me at the time either, but this very simple act provides the required maintenance for an organizing solution.

Yes it’s simple, but then it really doesn’t have to be complicated. Organizing is a process and assigning homes to all of your things is part of the process.

These homes should be places that make sense to you, such as a place where you will use the item. Since it’s your own personal logic, it should help you remember where it belongs.

The next step in the process, now that you assigned homes for your things, is to containerize your things.  A container can be a basket, bin, shelf, drawer, cup, vase, closet, etc.  Each room in y our house is a container.  Your home is actually a big container with dividers such as rooms and closets.

Labeling the container, bin, drawer, shelf or area, will leave no doubt as to where its home is, so that anyone that uses it will be able to put it back in its assigned home after use.  The last step in the organizing process is always the maintenance step.  That maintenance step is to return the item to its assigned home after using it.

So, the next time you use something, put it back where it belongs and you will be able to find it again when you need it. It’s a simple as that!