July 2006
Ask The Miracle Worker
Q:
My home is now organized, but alas, my purse somehow has managed to keep
escaping. Although I can now find it each & every time, the contents
are still a nightmare! I've tried the little organizer purses to no avail.
Is there actually a method that works?
A: There
are three issues here: 1) the contents of your purse; 2) the type of purse
you're using; and 3) purse maintenance. Here are my suggestions for
effectively dealing with all three of them:
1) Make a list of all the items you like to
carry with you. Next, evaluate these items to see if maybe you've gotten in
the habit of carrying around more stuff than you need (a common problem). Edit
the list down to the things you actually use. Then group all similar items
together into categories--for example, beauty supplies, financials, office
supplies, kids' stuff (depending on what you carry).
2) Now you're ready to evaluate your purse(s)
to see if you've got enough of the right kind of compartments for the types of
stuff you want to carry. If the compartments are inadequate, you may
need to get a different type of purse. I recommend the kind with a wide
"mouth" that makes it easier to see inside the purse. You also
might want to get some clear plastic or mesh zippered pouches for keeping
cosmetics or other supplies together and easily accessible. If you tend
to accumulate papers in your purse (receipts, ATM slips, coupons, & notes
are commonplace), use a little plastic envelope for those. They come in
different colors--clear & opaque--and are carried at office supply &
stationer stores (I've also seen them at places like Sav-On Drugs). Tip:
color-code by using green for financials, pink for beauty supplies, and so
forth.
3) Finally--and this is most
important--plan to spend a few minutes at the end of each day to go through
your purse, remove any excess stuff that accumulated that day, and put things
in order so you'll be ready for tomorrow. This is called purse
maintenance. As I always say, "Life is 5% joy, 5% grief and 90%
maintenance"-- and that includes purses!
© 2006 by Harriet Schechter
For more clutter-control tips as well as helpful forms and checklists, read LET
GO OF CLUTTER.
Got a chaos problem? The Miracle Worker has the
answers. E-mail your questions to The Miracle Worker. Please include your name and city (which will be kept private).