7 Things Organizing Is NOT

It’s the end of the school year and that means time to clean out classrooms and get organized for next year. There are tons of posts about what organizing is and how to do it. Let’s talk about what it’s NOT. 

WARNING: This post contains adult language…because I’m an adult…and I teach a language. But seriously, there will be swears.

1. Organizing is NOT a one time thing

Spoiler alert: you don’t organize things once and then life is peachy keen. Your first attempt won’t be perfect. It usually takes several revisions & tweaks until you find a system that works for you. Even if you did it just like that person on a blog said to, it might not work for your needs & your personality. Don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t work out exactly how you want the first time.

2. Organizing is NOT expensive

Confession: I fucking hate that 10 drawer rainbow cart from Michaels. You know the one I mean. It’s all over Pinterest and Instagram. People “ooh” and “aah” over it like it’s the holy grail of classroom furniture. Next you’ll need to buy a cute custom font, print out labels to put in the drawers, probably get some clip art for the labels too. Before you know it, you’re $50 in and you haven’t organized a damn thing. 

You don’t need any of that. You can organize your things without spending a dime. I’ll tell you how in an upcoming post. Please, please don’t spend your money on things you don’t need. You might need to buy something like The Cart. That’s fine. Just make sure you’re really going to use it for a really long time and that it will serve you well. 

Also, if you have that rainbow cart, we can still be friends.

3. Organizing isn’t difficult or complex

You don’t have to label every individual thing and have a color-coded container for every resource. If you want to, you can but you can also keep it really simple! It can be as easy as saving a cardboard box, writing on it with a sharpie and dropping things in it. There is no secret code you have to learn before you can organize. It can be as straightforward or intricate as you need it to be.

4. Organizing is NOT minimizing

Organization and minimalism are two different things my friend. They can go hand-in-hand and definitely complement each other but they are not joined at the hip. If you think organizing means you have to throw away half your possessions, you’re wrong. If you want to minimize, let’s talk because I’ll go on all damn day about downsizing possessions (physical or digital) but please don’t think that organizing means you have to purge a bunch of stuff.

5. Organizing is NOT time-consuming

You’re not on a reality show about organizing (are you?). You don’t have to spend 6 hours organizing and get it all done NOW. You will burn out and you will resent organizing. Take your time. You might even enjoy the process! Depending on your situation, you might need an hour or two. Set a timer for 20 minutes and really focus for those 20 minutes. Then, in another day or two, do it again. Take it in small, manageable chunks. 

6. Organizing is NOT cutesy

It can be. But it doesn’t have to be. I see so many teachers creating beautiful, colorful, themed, organized classrooms. Yours doesn’t have to look like that. I like mine to be lean, practical, and sleek. I don’t care what it looks like, I care that it works. You don’t have to post it on Instagram or Pinterest. It doesn’t need to look like something out of Better Homes & Gardens. It just has to work.

Want a practical, quick start guide to start decluttering your Google Drive files? Get my free file deleting guide.

7. Organizing is NOT about perfection. It can be messy.

I love organizing AND I have some drawers that are an absolute mess. But those messy drawers have a purpose and I know what is in them. Will I get them more organized someday? Maybe. If I don’t, that’s OK. Organizing isn’t about making things look like a new toy in a box, posed perfectly and held in place with a million tiny plastic ties that infuriate you and kill sea turtles. Who wants that?!

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

So how ‘bout it? What is organizing NOT for you?

• A priority?
• Something you feel like you can do?
• Enjoyable?
• Something you love/hate/enjoy?

Comment below to let me know & stay tuned for more posts about what organizing really is and how it can work for you.