What's to be gained from magazine articles on organizing?

Date Posted: Jan 15, 2010

The cover of the January 2010 Better Home and Gardens magazine (BHG.com) proclaims “get organized!” in bright yellow letters.  Many magazines feature organizing articles this month, and others contain organizing information throughout the year.  What can you make from all this advice?  Here are 6 things to consider:

1.    Foolproof, quick, easy and . . .  over-hyped!

Remember, the magazines want to grab readers.  So, they’re likely to make sweeping, even outrageous claims.  Don’t be sucked in by attention grabbing headlines.  The more something is hyped, the more it promises, the more suspicious you should be!  

To borrow an analogy from dieting, you know that sensible diet and regular exercise are the keys to controlling your weight.  That doesn’t make a very exciting headline, so what you hear about is miracle diets with astonishing results.  If an article on weight control doesn’t mention diet and exercise, you wouldn’t take it seriously.  

So too, with being organized.  There is no miracle system for getting organized.  Neither will even the most innovative storage system free you from clutter.  Any “tips” which suggest otherwise can and should be ignored.   

2.    One size fits all . .  .or does it?

The current BHG gives 50 tips for getting organized.  With 50 shots, they’re bound to hit something, but the overall value of the list may be limited.  Such offerings are likely to be bland and over-general (“eat sensibly and exercise”).  And if they’re particular, who’s to say they apply to you (“organizing your collection of snake skins”).  Read with a discriminating eye; look for clues you can use.

3.    Advice to “advice collectors”

 It may be that these New Year’s tips are so popular because people find it easier to read about organization than actually get organized.  Reading through a list of tips makes some people feel as if they’ve actually accomplished something and lets them put off their problem a little longer.  I know people who think the next article (or book) will have the key to getting organized.  

4.    Beware the sales pitch . . .

Some how-to articles are (thinly) veiled sales pitches for a book, storage system or other item.  There may be nothing wrong with that, but you should be aware that the writer’s goal is making a sale, not getting you organized.  Many people I know have purchased containers thinking that having a container will get them organized.  But just buying a container to get organized is similar to thinking that buying a diet book will cause you to lose weight. 

5.    Consider the source.

All tips are not created equal.  Sources do matter in such cases.  Tip #2 in the BHG January issue is from Peter Walsh, a well known professional organizer with a television show and organizing book.  Always check to see if the source of information is given.  Some magazines have a professional organizer associated with them.  If an organizer is a member of The National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), you can trust the information he or she gives.

6.    A challenge

As you read articles on organization, pass along any particularly good, or particularly bad ones.  I’ll be glad to share them.  Good luck!