Organizing 102: How to Cut Corners in Your Home Organization Projects

This post is a follow-up to Organizing 101: The Basic Organization Process. As much as I believe in that process as the fundamental way to attack a home organization project, I like to be realistic. And I like to move fast. So what the best ways to cut corners? Where can we save time? How can we get to a spot where we’re “organized enough” to function well, while not wasting away our precious free time on organizing? Here are some ideas.

A cardboard box that could be used in a home organization project — *Photo by Karolina Grabowska via Pexels*

Ways to Speed Up The Organization Process

Choose the smallest space possible to organize. For example:
- Don’t do your fridge, do the fruit drawer.
- Don’t do your toiletries, do your makeup.
- Don’t do your closet, do your pants.
Don’t empty the space. If you can manage it, just re-arrange the stuff while keeping it in it’s space.
Keep your declutter pile simple. Don’t worry too much about how you’re going to get rid of items, just set them off the side for right now and focus on the space in front of you and the items you intend to keep in it.
If you have enough space to distinguish between categories, don’t contain.
Contain with the closest, easiest thing, and then upgrade later. (Yes, Amazon boxes or grocery bags and trash bags will do.)
Don’t label.

Benefits of Cutting Corners

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: My preferred approach to everything is a gradual refinement of a space, where I iterate over and over again, making it a little bit better each time. This keeps the work small and manageable, and it produces continual results that help me maintain motivation to continue my refinement.

By cutting corners the first time around, you also allow yourself to pivot. Perhaps you live with the system for a few days but then realize it’s not working for you. It’s easier to feel comfortable backing out of plan if you haven’t invested so much up front.

How Important Is It, Really?

Most of all, cutting corners helps you truly prioritize. Once something is “organized enough”, you might find yourself not even wanting to finish the project. And let me tell you: THIS IS NOT ALWAYS A BAD THING. Oftentimes we have the stigma that an unfinished project is sign of being irresponsible or a procrastinator. And while this may occasionally be the case, it can also just simply be the sign of a good prioritizer.

I work full-time as a Product Owner in the IT industry, and my main function is to maximize the business value of our products with the limited resources of the company. This concept is called “minimum viable product” in the corporate world. And I fully believe we can bring that concept home with us…

A “minimum viable product” at home means creating the most value with your limited time and money. Regardless of how much time and money you have, it’s limited. If you start feeling like you don’t care to make a space better—whether that’s more organized, more beautiful, whatever—then guess what? You get to use that limited time and money somewhere else in your life. Re-prioritize your resources to whatever you care about. An unfinished project that is just “good enough” is actually just a minimum viable product. And let me tell you, that is valuable.

I’d love to hear in the comments: Where are you cutting corners in your home? What projects are you going to let go of, and just live with the “good enough” version?