The psychology of organization: Sustenance Series

I believe someone may have once called it "life-changing magic" lol

Hello and welcome to this week’s edition of The Bell!

I changed my closet over from winter to spring last weekend.

The weather is finally hovering about 50 during the day in Boston and I was finding myself digging into the canvas storage containers under my bed to pull out certain pieces I wanted.

It was time.

I read something on Instagram recently (that I can’t find again) that said something along the lines of, “Feng shui is real. Rearrange your shelves. Clean out your screenshots folder. Organize your junk drawer. (Etc, etc.) Your mind will feel so much better.”

I’m misquoting it, but you get the gist. And Marie Kondo wrote the bible on it about ten years ago. Are we all just repeating what she said at this point? Basically, yes.

But I relearn the lesson every spring.

I had a cold a couple of weeks ago, and it’s always so important to change the sheets and air out the bedroom after I’ve been sick. But even when you haven’t been sick, a seasonal reset of the bedside table, the stuff under the bathroom sink, the refrigerator, can sustain you in very perceptible ways.

Your whole household benefits of course, but I think it’s the person doing the work of reorganization who gets the greatest payoff. There’s something about taking it all out and making a huge messy pile of stuff, vacuuming and wiping down the empty space so the dust bunnies are gone and it smells fresh, then putting back just what needs to be there, tidily, that somehow also cleans out your whole brain.

It’s a little mundane and can take a long time depending on the project, but also somehow deeply satisfying. The sense of accomplishment that you get putting order to chaos!!!

And if you can also do this with a window thrown wide open and good music or a funny podcast in your ears, the vibes will be even better.

Still need to steam everything hanging, but it’s big progress.

Here are some things to organize/clean this month:

• Donate the pile of stuff you’ve been meaning to donate (and sell the pile of stuff you’ve been meaning to sell, ahem to me).

• Make sure your closet only features transitional and warm-weather stuff that fits your body and personal style as it is right now—and go shopping if you need different sizes from last year.

• Then steam everything in your closet so each piece is fresh and ready to put on with no additional steps.

• Go through your makeup bag.

• Finish a home project that’s been dangling (also ahem to me).

• Check dates on everything in your fridge and freezer, especially condiments, and throw out anything dodgy.

• Look in the bottom of all your handbags, tote bags, and coat pockets and throw out loose receipts and other junk.

• Tend to that drawer that tends toward chaos (mine is the fabric napkin and placemat drawer) and put it in order.

• Go through the photos on your phone, put stuff in folders, and delete duplicates and pics you no longer need (this is nice to do with some mindless tv on in the background).

• Change up the styling of your coffee table, bedside table, and/or bookshelves.

• Cull the children’s toys that they don’t play with much (or hide some toys to present later as new).

• Prune your houseplants and repot them if needed.

• Go on a filing and shredding mission at your desk to address the piles of paperwork.

• Swap out your bedspread for something summer weight.

• Wash your throw pillow cases, slip covers, and other decorative textiles, if they’re washable.

• Dust your picture frames.

• Have your winter woolens dry cleaned before putting away, if you’re not confident cleaning them at home.

• Sort of meta, but make sure you have the tools and products you need to clean and organize! It takes some time, but bother to measure for bins, figure out whether you want clear or opaque, open-top or lidded, etc. Get enough hooks, shoe storage, shelves, drawer dividers, file folders, boxes, labels, etc. that you can actually be organized.

That’s it! That’s the snack-sized newsletter this week. Happy organizing, and talk to you Friday with this week’s recs.

xx Jane

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