In today’s episode of Best of Both Worlds, Sarah interviews Shira Gill, an organizing expert and author of the brand new book LifeStyled (she is also the author of Minimalista, and writes frequently on minimalism and home organization). She talks about how to start a big organizing project, how to figure out how much stuff you need, and how to get a family on board (it might help to take the log out of your own eye first, metaphorically speaking — and she also advocates letting people have their own rules for their own spaces).

Please give the episode a listen! As always, we welcome ratings and reviews. And please consider joining our Best of Both Worlds Patreon community. We’ll be gathering on December 19th for our annual goal setting workshop. Membership is $9/month.

I’m not entirely sure why. I don’t know what I’m looking to gain from these books. I just find them vaguely pleasant and not terribly demanding.

Anyway, when I read the books with pretty pictures (or follow such accounts on Instagram) I have a realization. My stuff almost never looks anything like that. But my stuff is organized. One is quite possible without the other.

For instance, my kitchen is now set up in such a way that you can empty 90 percent of the dishwasher without moving more than a step or two from the dishwasher. The only items that require a walk are the mugs. It made more sense to locate them in the cupboard above the built-in coffee maker than a cupboard farther from the coffee maker but closer to the dishwasher. Do the mugs all match? No. They do not. But they’re in the right place.

The pantry, likewise, does not feature snacks organized by color, nor are dry goods decanted into clear canisters. But the cereal is in one place. The snacks for lunches are in another, where the kids can grab them.

The shoes in the mudroom aren’t lined up. The backpacks tend not to get hung up. But they are all in there.

You can organize for function without worrying too much about the aesthetics. My general sense is that you can make yourself crazy trying to get other people to buy into the aesthetics. But if you have a big family, it is highly unlikely that everyone is going to be equally enamored with systems that look pretty but require extra effort. Why decant cereal into other containers when cereal comes in a perfectly useful container — namely, the cereal box? The net result of such a system is that you — or whoever cares most about the aesthetics — is going to spend your time decanting. It will be your job.

Whereas if the system is just that the cereal goes on a certain shelf, then other folks will put away the cereal after the grocery run. So that is the system you need.

Where is your cereal hanging out these days?

In other news: I was excited to see Tranquility by Tuesday mentioned on Cal Newport’s Study Hacks blog! Check out his post about building in a back-up slot and creating enough space to work.

I’m also excited that Eric Barker’s Plays Well With Others was chosen as a Next Big Idea Book Club selection. He’s had me on his podcast before and he is always great to talk to. Be sure to check out this book, which is full of counterintuitive insights that will help you navigate relationships.

(Tranquility by Tuesday made the nominee list for October!)

Photo: We eat a lot of Cheerios around here

by Lorie Marrero

Let’s be blunt about it—the stagnant stuff in your house is weighing you down. You are fussing over it, polishing it, maintaining it, and moving it around, but you’re not using it and valuing it.

Getting rid of your unneeded items like clothing and housewares is good for you. Donating them makes room for new, more useful items to come into your life, allows you to move forward from old memories and experiences, and simplifies your space and your daily decisions. But did you realize that donating these items is also good for the environment and for your own community? Your stagnant stuff is equivalent to time and services for the people who need it most, and donating it keeps it out of the landfill too, which helps everyone. Donating household items IS philanthropy.

Many people don’t realize that every 45 seconds of every business day, a person served by Goodwill® earns a good job. These jobs go far beyond the retail thrift stores that Goodwill operates—the revenue from the sale of these donated items provides services like job placement and career counseling, and Goodwill even creates jobs for those they serve, managing large contracted projects for local businesses like landscaping, document imaging, and assembly work. In this economy, we need community services like these more than ever.

Goodwill applies 83% of their collective revenue directly toward this mission of putting people to work! There is a new Donation Impact Calculator at http://donate.goodwill.org where you can see the actual results of your giving, like these examples:

• 5 pairs of shoes, 3 dresses and 2 purses = 1 hour of career counseling
• 1 bike and 5 video games = 1 hour of resume preparation
• 1 working computer = 8.1 hours of on-the-job training
• 2 chairs and a TV = 1.2 hours of a financial planning class
• 10 CDs or DVDs = 50 minutes of a job search class

Unfortunately, each year Americans throw 68 billion pounds of clothing and textiles into the landfill. And, for every one article of clothing they donate, consumers have at least 30 more articles of clothing that are ready to be given. Another problem is that people aren’t conscious of where they are donating and leave things at the nearest drop box they find. Some of these drop boxes may not even be benefitting a charity, or may give them as little as 5% of the revenue!

Goodwill has been re-using and repurposing items for over 100 years, reclaiming the value of both things and people. Let’s unlock the potential of your stuff so that everyone wins—the environment, the shoppers who get a bargain, the donors who receive a tax deduction, and the job seekers who need help overcoming barriers to finding employment. It gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, “good riddance.” You can find your nearest donation center (and play with the Donation Impact Calculator) at http://donate.goodwill.org.

Certified Professional Organizer® Lorie Marrero is the author of The Clutter Diet: The Skinny on Organizing Your Home and Taking Control of Your Life. She is also the creator of ClutterDiet.com, an innovative program allowing anyone to get expert help at an affordable price. Her organizing books and products are sold online and in stores nationwide. Lorie is the national spokesperson for Goodwill Industries International, and she is a sought-after expert for national media such as CNBC, Good Housekeeping, WGN News and Woman’s Day.

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