Choosing the Right Containers

One of the fundamental principles of organizing is containerizing. This means putting related items together and physically constraining them so they stay together. Forms of containers include:

  • drawer
  • shelf
  • file folder
  • file cabinet
  • cabinet
  • box
  • bin
  • tray

Types of Containers

Choosing the right container or set of containers can be difficult. In fact, you can create more clutter in your space by choosing the wrong containers. In the same way that you group like items together when organizing, it is a good idea to group like containers together. You wouldn't put a file folder next to a shoebox on a shelf, would you? Well, this would be just about as nonfunctional as putting a blue plastic shoe box next to a beige photo box next to a clear storage box. Maybe all three boxes contain your photos and are somewhat similar in size, but they won't stack neatly or line up uniformly on a shelf, which is an inefficient use of space. Additionally, they create visual clutter because they are all different colors. This is a common phenomenon. It is a result of piecemeal organizing versus systematic organizing. If you buy containers on an as-needed basis, they will probably never coordinate with each other because new and different product lines are always appearing on the market. It is better to evaluate your needs and how they may change over time and buy a set of containers that will accommodate you not just now but in the future.

Planning for future storage now can also help you set limits on how much stuff you should buy. Maybe you only own three lipsticks. What is the maximum you think you will ever own at one time? What is a reasonable number of lipsticks for you to own? Once you've determined this number buy a container that will hold just that many lipsticks. While you're at it, determine the same for all the other cosmetics you use and buy containers that coordinate or fit together. If your lipsticks ever overflow the container, you will know that it is time to throw some out or just not buy any new ones. Again, avoid piecemeal organizing—instead of twelve lipsticks living on your countertop, you could end up with three different-sized containers, each holding four lipsticks, which is not really an organizational improvement.

Sizes of Containers

The size of the objects you are containerizing should correspond to the size of container they are placed in. Generally speaking, small items should go in small containers and large items in larger containers. For example, keeping action figures in a large storage tub will make retrieval of one particular figure nearly impossible and ultimately frustrating. Finding Superman will literally be like finding a needle in a haystack. Instead, smaller boxes that held a dozen or so figures, divided into genres—superheroes, Simpsons, Star Trek—would work better. Conversely, purchasing a large container that only holds two large teddy bears could be both a waste of time and not very helpful.

A Real Example

One particular pet peeve of mine is wire mesh cube systems, which seem to be intended for kids' toy storage. They are somewhat configurable in terms of which ways the cubes can connect together—this feature fools people into thinking they will be a good organizational tool. In fact, I find these annoying in a couple of ways. The cubes are too big to store small toys efficiently and too small to store larger toys and board games. Plus the wire mesh is just the size to get your fingers stuck in when grabbing for something and it grabs onto the legs of action figures and any other protrusions on toys. No wonder kids don't want to put their toys away—it's too frustrating to deal with such a storage device.

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