This week on Organize and Cherish, we answer a listener question that so many of us have quietly wondered: am I the problem, or is my system the problem? We dig into how to tell the difference but without blame, and what to actually do next inside your storage spaces.
In this episode, we talk about:
- How to honestly assess whether your storage space keeps reverting to chaos because of a habit gap or a system gap and why it's almost never just one or the other
- The three signs your storage system is working against you (and doesn't need more willpower to fix – it needs a redesign)
- Practical ways to adjust your storage setup so it works with how you and your household actually move, not how you wish you did
Review full show notes and resources at https://theorganizedflamingo.com/podcast
Review Transcript:
 So this week, we are going to be answering a question that someone submitted. And instead of doing a couple of them, I decided to just focus on one. And I have a feeling that many of you have been thinking about this and/or it'll pop into your head, but you didn't even realize it, or the feeling popped into your mind but had no idea how to verbalize it.
So when this person asked me this question, I thought, yes, this is probably what so many people are feeling. Let's make an episode about it. So we're doing a Q&A of one of the questions. I did receive a series of other ones from some of you. So what we're gonna do is we're gonna do a separate Q&A episode for those that are, are shorter answers.
And for this one, we're just going to focus on the topic, uh, for today in answering this, this question. Okay? So the question was essentially this: Do I need to change or does my system need to change? And I'll give you some backstory for this particular person who I've known for a while. They've been a client in the past and in part of the community, and they receive our weekly Organize and Cherish email that goes out on Wednesdays.
It's free to join, so just, um, head on over to our website and subscribe there. So anyway, give some, some tips and some inspiration and some, um, backstories to help people through their organizing, decluttering, or downsizing journey, right? And this year we're focusing on the year of the storage rooms. So this individual is actually, uh, doing one of their storage…
They have a couple. In one of their storage rooms, they decided that they would try to tackle it themselves. I've helped them declutter other parts of their homes. We've actually done two moves together. Um, but they, they really just kind of wanna focus slowly in the storage room, there's a lot of sentimental items in there, and take a, and take a, a, a turn and see if they can do it by themselves without much help and with, you know, just one-off help here and there.
Couple hours from loved ones, uh, and/or if she needs me, you know, we're here. That's the whole backstory. So they emailed me and said, “Okay, I keep going around in circles. Do I need to change or does my system need to change?” And it's a great question. So in other words, is it me or is it this method that I'm using?
So what I want to say before we go any further though is that The fact that you're asking, you, you the listener, so not just the, the person who submitted this question, but the fact that you're asking this question at all tells me something really important about you. That you're not just throwing your hands up and saying, “Forget it.”
You really are trying to figure out what's actually going on, and there might be some frustration there, but it's healthy frustration. And that takes a kind of honesty that not everyone has or brings to this process of organizing, downsizing. So as you can tell, this individual has done this before, to be really honest with themselves.
And if you're not at that place, I get it. I do. I hope that when you listen to this, at least some of it will start to spark some inspiration, and that it'll help you not be so hard on yourself. That even if you're a pro and you've done this a million times, and, you know, you are such … You're the most minimalist, organized person everybody, anyone knows, that once in a while things fail or they just feel like you're going around in circles, and it might not be you.
It could be the system. Or frankly, it could be you. And I know plenty of people that are very high-functioning people that are obsessed or addicted to organization. They're always rearranging. They're always decluttering. They're always trying something new. And at some point I have had to say, “You know, let's go ahead and dissect this a little bit.
Maybe a mental health provider could be of help to guide you through this process, because we do keep going around in circles and I don't want to see you feel like you're failing, because you're not. So let's talk about this.” Okay? So we're, so that's what we're going to talk about today as much as I can in a general, general term.
Okay, so here we go
Welcome to the Organize and Cherish podcast with The Organized Flamingo. I am your host, Stephanie, your compassionate and efficient professional organizer. Whether you are part of the sandwich generation, helping a loved one declutter, or just trying to simplify life, this is the place for you. Together, we will tackle those overwhelming piles of stuff, uncover purpose in what we keep, and let go with dignity and care.
Because it's not just about throwing everything away, it's about respecting memories and simplifying life. Sound like a plan? Let's jump in and get organized Okay, so as you know, we are deep into the year of the storage rooms. So we are focused on answering the question that they talked about, because it's a storage room.
So this could be any room technically, but because we are in the year of storage rooms, and the question was about storage rooms, that's what I will be talking about today. So what does a s- a s- a system problem really look like? I'll give you the, my quick feedback of someone who's done this for over 20-plus years, okay?
So it's not like the dictionary definition, but it's something that I've seen over and over again. And usually it's because I think there's like a myth that a good organizing system, once it's set up, basically runs itself. And when it stops running itself, that must mean we dropped the ball. So what I've seen though in clients' spaces is that sometimes a system was never set up to work in the first place.
It was set up to look good. Or the origin- and/or the original reason it was set up was very different to where you are now, which is a very different thing. Sometimes I'll work with people who have had a, a beautiful storage room. I mean, it looked like something out of like a storage, uh, magazine, right?
Like a, a really cute area with labels and on every bin, and the whole color system, the whole everything. And when we got in there together, what we found was that the bins were labeled for what she wanted to store, not for what she wanted to retrieve. So the system was working, but for a different reason.
And the system was built around more of like an aspiration version of the household. So what does a system problem actually look like? It could be that instead of like it's you, like it's truly the system and not you, right? You're returning things to their place, and it feels really hard every single time.
So like yeah, you are … You get what I'm saying when I talk about everything has a place, and you keep seeing it on all these very trendy books and very trendy social media post, but it's still really hard. So if putting something back requires more than about like two or three steps, which I talk about a lot, not going more than five steps, or if you have to move something else to get to it, your system probably isn't set up for the way things actually flow in and out of that space.
And a good storage system has what I like to call a low resistance path. It should be an easy to put something back as it was to take out. And when returning things is harder than taking them, stuff just doesn't go back. Another sign is that you find the same categories of things all over the place.
Holiday stuff in, like, three different bins on three different shelves, sports equipment in two different corners, seasonal bedding partially, like, in one bin, partially folded on a shelf, partially in the hallway closet. When a category is scattered, it usually means there wasn't enough dedicated space for it when the system was designed.
So things just got tucked wherever they fit, and that's not a you problem per se. It's a design problem that fit when you first set it up, but not anymore. Hi, Cherish friends. Life can get overwhelming, especially when you're juggling caregiving, clutter, and everything in between. That's why I created the Organize & Cherish weekly email that goes out every Wednesday straight to your inbox to help you keep the momentum, inspiration going with tips and reminders of our upcoming events.
All you have to do is head on over to organizeandcherish.com and sign up for the email newsletter. It's free, and you can unsubscribe whenever you'd like. It's my way of helping you simplify your life and respecting memories along the way. Now back to our show Another sign is that the system itself works for you, but not the other people in your household.
So we did talk about shared storage spaces back in episode 173. And we talked about compassionate negotiation and making sure that you're, you are organizing for everybody in your household. But one thing I wanted to add, so, you know, go ahead and listen to that episode. But what I wanna add is that if you're the only one who knows how the system works, it's not really a system.
It's a personally… Like, it's a personal method, and personal filing methods fall apart the moment someone else needs to access a space and can't decide where or decode, like, the logic of what's going on. So a system that lives only in your head doesn't count. It has to be intuitive enough for the people who share the space so that they can figure it out without asking you first.
What I want you to really, you know, hopefully listen in, a- and I wanna be clear about, is that if any of those signs did resonate, there is really good news because a system problem is fixable. Now, it, it will require you to get used to the new system, but it's absolutely fixable, and you probably just forgot that that was a long time ago when you set up the system, when you ordered the new closet, you know, shelves, and it looked really pretty once upon a time.
But now you don't wear as many dresses to, uh, whatever event. Maybe you don't w- uh, work that corporate job anymore, so you don't need any of that stuff. In your storage space, it's the same s- it's the same thing. So if you are no longer needing or wanting all those sentimental items, like you're, you're, you've done the work and you don't need to grieve and keep all that stuff, then you're in a different place.
If you are in that place, then your storage room's going to look a little bit different. So if any of those resonated, it just means that your system needs to change So let's talk about if it's you. So some of the things that I would be watching out for to determine if it's your system or you, so I've talked about like the system, right?
Like look out for those things. But when it's you, it's a little more complicated than just saying, “Well, are you the problem?” But to simplify it, these are- this is what I want you to th- to look for. When you don't bring things even remotely close to where they belong, so this is the version where the system is actually fine.
The bins make sense. The labels are probably accurate. The path is clear, but the box from the garage sits by the door for two weeks, months, because bringing it to its spot, like even close to where it's supposed to be, is too much of a mental to-do list. That's more of a retrieval gap, and it's a you. Like you know where there's…
it's supposed to go, but you're, you're just not doing it. So that's where I want you to think about, well, you know what? No matter how many times you rearrange this area, the problem will still be you because you are not working with the system that you put together. You're not giving the system a chance.
You haven't practiced the system. You haven't gone and done it enough times for your brain, for your, um, body, for you to remember and do it automatically. It's every single time it becomes like a new learning game, and that can be very frustrating. But I do need you to practice We were not born to organize.
I don't know if you know that, but this is a learned skill. So I need you to learn it and practice it. So that's my very big top number one thing to look out for. When you are taking it kind of in that direction, but then you don't really… That's it. Like, it just kinda stays, it just stays there. You haven't even tried.
So yes, that would be an example of it's you. Another re- another version of this or s- or reason is that you use things from storage. You use it with like a one and done, so very disposable. Uh, it could just be that for you a system is, you really don't need to be buying everything for that one-time use.
You probably should be renting it, uh, or borrowing it, and you don't really need to buy more things. At that point, it is you because you're not using the items in your storage multiple times. Now, obviously, if you have sentimental items where you are keeping those items, uh, because you're not sure if you want to pass it down, like what you wanna do, that's, that's a separate, separate category, which I will talk about in just a second.
But this is kind of for everyday items that you're storing, maybe seasonal items. Not so much seasonal decor, but I'm talking, uh, like crockpots. A lot of you will, um, store your kitchen like one, two, three time ever in your life uses of, for, um, cooking or baking. And if you're only using it once or twice, you can just call a friend and ask if you can borrow their crockpot.
You can go and rent one out, right? You don't need to buy one-offs, and that could be a you problem, that you're just over-buying. If you think of your storage room as your overflow section, yes, it could be that it's you. Because a storage is supposed to keep items intentionally. It's supposed to be the place where you don't go as often as you do with your other everyday spaces But it's not a permanent overflow place.
It's supposed to be very intentional. Like, the stuff you keep there, which is like the sentimental stuff maybe, um, photo albums that you only bring out every so often. You're not ready to digitize them, give them away, throw them away, um, your loved one's stuff that you've inherited. You're just not ready to tackle those boxes, but that's very intentional.
Your storage room is supposed to be intentional. So if you are treating this space as the overflow, landfill, meets the recycle bin, meets the I just throw the things of… that I'm not sure what to do with, then it's probably a you and not a systems problem. Now, it could- this one could be a mix of both you and you just haven't decided what system works for you.
But like I said in my very first point of if it's you, you need to practice something before you know if it will work or not. If you haven't practiced any of the systems, if you haven't practiced putting stuff away where you said you would put them away in, then you don't know if it's going to work, and you're just going around and around avoiding the problem.
So practice what system you've implemented. If you need help with what system could work for you, give me a call, give me an email, and I will be happy to get you started. And then see if that works. And if it doesn't, then yes, let's go ahead and rearrange. Let's try something different. But if you don't practice, if you don't put stuff away, you're not giving yourself an opportunity to succeed in your organizing, decluttering, downsizing journey, especially in an area like a storage room where it's not used as often.
It's out of sight, out of mind. So if you've heard any of this and it resonated, let me know. You're either… You probably found one or two things that I said and you'll say, “Okay, that's me. I have a feeling I'm leaning towards it's a me or my syst- system problem.” Um, I hope that this answered your question.
I hope that anyone who had this question was inspired by this and at least gave you a little tug to think further that maybe it's not you, it could be the system or vice versa. Okay? And then try any of the tips that I gave you, and then we can go from there. If this was helpful, let us know. Send us a message at hello@theorganizedflamingo.com.
We always love to cheer you on and hear about your successes or where you got stuck so that we can help you get unstuck and live in a space that you're proud of and you feel safe mentally and physically. Okay? All right. Until next week, happy organizing. Thank you for listening to the Organize and Cherish podcast with The Organized Flamingo.
If you enjoyed today's episode, I'd be so grateful if you left a rating and review on your favorite podcast player. It helps others discover our show. For full show notes, resources, and more organizing inspiration, visit www.theorganizedflamingo.com/podcast. Until next time, happy organizing