I have historically been a performatively neat person, as opposed to a legitimately neat one. My throw pillows are always in the right place (having been repositioned approximately 1,302 times per day because to my dog, they are a pile of glorious autumn leaves that must be leapt upon regularly), my counter is (almost) always wiped down, and my dust bunnies are Roomba-ed multiple times a day…but should you open a drawer of any kind: Oh dear.
Basically: If I can’t see it…is it really a problem?
Like everyone else, though, I have spent the past year being confronted with my most slovenly tendencies, because I cannot get away from them without defying, you know, federal orders. A few weeks ago, after an especially frustrating hunt through my kitchen in search of the third pair of AirPods I have lost this year (AUGH), I finally broke, and bought All The Organizing Things.
Here are the ones that have made my life actually, literally, better on a day-to-day basis.
Drawer Organizer Thingies. I picked up a few at HomeGoods for $7 each, and now they’re in every single bedside table in the house (kids, too), as well as my junk drawer.
A glorious, glorious multi-device charger (phone, Apple Watch, AirPods). I ALWAYS KNOW WHERE MY AIRPODS ARE NOW. (By the way, this one is really pretty if you want to spend a little more money or give a luxe version as a gift.)
My son and I share a work space (a.k.a. our dining room table), and things have been getting a little OOC lately. Dedicated wall baskets (wire, so we can see what’s inside) for each of us have really helped.
You know what my favorite Pandemic Organization Discovery might be? Command Hooks. They come in tons of different sizes, go onto walls easily (without damaging them) and hold an astounding amount of weight. I have them by the door to hold my kids’ backpacks and masks, on the inside of cabinets to hold dish towels and aprons, and – most recently – all over the inside of my closet, to keep my hat collection nice and neat.
Who knew I could have actual emotions about a toothbrush holder? My kids (and, ok, me) are DISGUSTING with our toothpaste; it’s always smooshing out on the countertop and such – and this keeps the whole situation nice and neat…and frees up extra counter space.
There you have it: My solutions for Organizing All the Everythings. Additional suggestions always welcome!
