The following is a guest post from regular contributor, Kristin at The Gold Project.
Last month, I shared the areas in my home that are macro-organized. In case you missed it, macro-organization deals with looking at the bigger picture. You have everything in one central area, but maybe the contents inside aren’t organized to the smallest detail. When I think of macro-organization, I think of underwear in a dresser drawer. I am a person that does not organize panties. I find it pointless. They are all in the same drawer and I think that is as organized as they need to be. I have tried folding and stacking them, but it just ends up a total mess by the end of the week. And, I am perfectly fine with my underwear drawer.
Now, there are areas in my home that I feel must be micro-organized or my brain can’t function correctly. Micro-organization is where you organize to the very smallest detail. These areas are micro-organized because it saves me time, keeps my mood positive, and can save me money.
1. Kitchen Utensils
For the longest time, I just had one drawer devoted to kitchen utensils and I would just throw everything in that drawer. There wasn’t anything organized about the drawer. I would use a spatula, wash it, and then cram it back in the drawer however it would fit. It got so bad that I would open the drawer and a utensil would get stuck at the top, creating a wedge, and I would have to pull as hard as I could to get the drawer to pop back open. Sometimes, this resulted in a broken utensil too.
Then, I would have those times where I would open up the drawer in search of one utensil, stare at the drawer like it was a Where’s Waldo game, and still be unable to find what I was looking for.
These things frustrated me so much that I finally said, “Enough is enough.” I purchased dividers for my utensil drawers (I cleared out a second drawer to use), organized them according to style and function (spoons, spatulas, etc.) and it has been so much better ever since. Now, I know what drawer to open and the exact section where certain utensils are located.
2. Makeup
Having my makeup organized into separate compartments saves me so much time in the mornings. If I am looking for mascara, I know where it is located. If I am looking for foundation, I know which compartment it should be sitting in. And, I know when things have been moved too.
Just the other day, I had just put my mascara on and reached to pick up my eyeliner and it wasn’t in the correct spot. I knew I didn’t move it, but looked in all the other compartments anyways. I still didn’t find it. I looked under my cabinets, in other drawers, and even rechecked my makeup drawer. I knew I didn’t move it because I always keep it in the same spot. After searching without success, I had to wear an eyeliner that was not my favorite.
Later that day, my daughter brings my eyeliner to me. She had placed it in her cheer makeup bag for her competition the upcoming weekend.
If makeup would’ve been thrown in the drawer without any organization, I probably still would’ve been searching for that missing eyeliner.
3. Beauty Products
Raise your hand if you keep your beauty products in the original packages? Yep! That was me until about a year ago. I had that light bulb moment where I realized I was taking up way too much space by using the original packaging. So, I started taking everything out of their store bought packages and placing them in my drawers in their own individual compartments. Now, all I have to do is open up my drawer and my Q-tips are easily accessible. No more fiddling around with extra bulk.
4. Office Supplies
It frustrates me to walk into my office, need a pen, and have to rummage through a bunch of pencils to locate one. If my drawer is a complete mess, I have no idea what I have and what I need. Not having these areas organized has cost me in the past too. I didn’t know I already had enough of one office supply, so I purchased more only to find out I now had duplicates. Organization can save you time and money!
5. Clothes in my Closet
Confession Time: I am pretty over the top when it comes to my closet organization. I have used the same system since college and it has worked great for me. I tried changing it up after reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up (affiliate link) but I don’t think my brain is wired that way. The clothes in my closet hang according to color and type. My tops hang color-coded, my sweaters lay on a rack at the bottom of my closet by color, and my pants are separated out and laid on racks as well. This makes my life so much easier, especially in the mornings. When I walk into my closet in the mornings, I know where my pants are located. Then, I know where to look if I need to find a pink top, a blue one, etc.
What areas in your home are micro-organized?
My name is Kristin and I am a middle school career education teacher by day and a mommy/wife/blogger by night. I am married to my high school sweetheart and we have two loving children. We recently made a life-changing move to Arkansas, so our new house is always under construction. I get excitement out of finding new creative, functional, and cute ways to organize things! I also enjoy writing and documenting life as it happens. So, I put these loves together and created The Gold Project. With the help of my husband, I am attempting to turn our house into a home. So, check out this special place of mine and take this journey with me!
- *Please note that affiliate links are included in this post to make it easier for you to find what is being referenced. A small commission is made should you purchase product using these links, but this is at no extra cost to you. As always, any and all opinions are genuinely my own – or the author, in the case of posts by my guest contributors. Thank you!*
Seana Turner says
I would say that my small items are “micro organized”… I agree on kitchen utensils, beauty products and office supplies. Kids arts and crafts supplies also, and small games.
Kristin @ The Gold Project says
I still haven’t conquered the small games thing and it is driving me crazy. 🙁
Heather Mills says
I love your system for your make-up organization. I could definitely try to improve on doing that!
kim says
Just found your blog today and love it! Can you tell me, please, where you got the small white bins you use for makeup and office supplies? Thanks!
Laura Wittmann says
Kristin got those from TJMaxx, but you can also find them on Amazon. They are the Interlocking Madesmart brand bins.
Claire says
I cannot find where to buy the organizing containers.
Laura Wittmann says
Kristin got those from TJMaxx, but you can also find them on Amazon. They are the Interlocking Madesmart brand bins.