Places to Put Things

 Places to Put Things

In a recent questionnaire carried out by the Quality Products for Everyday Life Research Center about storage, 9% of respondents answered that they were "good at arranging things".

Comparing those that answered that they were good at arranging things to the rest of the respondents, it appears that there is a difference in "places to put things".

Looking at a graph of the results of the questionnaire, many people more or less have a place to store things, while those who are good at arranging things have a place for everything. Even if you put things away neatly, they soon get jumbled up in day-to-day living. Along with the daily habit of returning things to where they were, what appears to be important is to first "decide on a set place for things", a trick that makes this possible.

How about using dividers and labeling things and fixing a position for things? One storage expert cuts open milk cartons and cuts them down so that they fit exactly inside drawers to make handmade dividers. The expert notes that even though it may be a hassle, it is particularly important that small articles be separated out and organized in such a way that you know where they are at a glance, with measures taken so that they can be returned to where they were.

Even if you think, "I must get around to organizing things", things don't go the way you plan. It is important to assimilate being well organized into your day-to-day life. Organizing things allows you to see those things that you don't need. When things go missing and we can't find them, we buy new ones, over and over. Perhaps you become aware of this. It seems that there's a limit to the number of things a person can keep tabs on. Having only the amount you yourself can keep tabs on is important.

The difference between the actions of those people good at organizing things and those that aren't is slight. But this slight difference appears to account for differences in results. Deciding on a set place to put things. Being thorough and separating out small articles. Labeling things. Returning things to where they were after use. How about incorporating these kinds of measures into your day-to-day life? It's not about making the time to tidy things up, but to incorporate it into the rhythm of your life. By doing so, perhaps your daily life will be easier.
research and written by MUJI http://muji.com