That's Neat! Blog

As Janna describes in Part 1, being organized seems to run in our family. I know that I’m organized because of my mom. Here is what I learned from her:

• Make a list.
• Always have paper and a pen handy….in case you need to make a list.
• Use a calendar (mom’s calendar always hangs in the kitchen and contains all the key family events, birthdays, and things to do).
• Put things away when you are done.
• Use labels.
• Make things beautiful.

Although she didn’t explicitly teach me these strategies, they became ingrained in how I approach my life. Maybe it was seeing the behavior as normal in our home; maybe it was that organizing gene.

Now I see my daughter exhibit a natural inclination towards organization. As a toddler, she taught her classmates how to sort the dried beans by shape and color. As a pre-schooler, she loved to “organize” the dress up clothes at school. Nearly six, she likes to plan ahead for what she’s going to wear the next day. She knows where to put the library books that need to be returned. She loves to have things sorted and categorized. And with reminders, most of the time she’ll put away her toys. Yes, I’m a pretty lucky parent.

Whether it comes from nature, nurture, or both, I hope these organization skills help my daughter navigate the world of elementary school, and later in life.

Please don’t despair if your child doesn’t seem to be naturally organized in the traditional way. Even if your child doesn’t seem to be innately organized, you can model positive organizing behavior. Read some ideas in The Neat Sheet.

Another resource to read is Every Child Has a Thinking Style by Lanna Nakone. This great book details four different organizing styles based on distinct “thinking styles” to help you work with your child’s strengths and recognize their challenges.

Unlike cousin Elizabeth, I grew up out west – Idaho to be exact. Although I now live a few miles from downtown Seattle, my Idaho roots run deep.

I am the oldest of the grandchildren, twelve years older than Elizabeth. Our moms are sisters and I’m pretty certain we got our organizing genes from them. However, they both got theirs from Grandma Nell.

Unlike Elizabeth, I had the great advantage of growing up and learning from my Grandma Nell. She was only an hour away and I spent many weekends with her. She was my “Country Grandma”, and let me tell you, she COULD “make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear”. I’ve often commented that I think I became a stylist because of her.

My mom on the other hand was a career woman long before her time. She worked at the hospital and was out the door by 5am most days. She had no choice but to be organized.

My dad, brother and I used to tease her about her “cards”. She had a stack of simple white index cards, rubber-banded together that she kept in her uniform pocket. I’m sure she developed the earliest form of the “Day-Timer”. Those cards held all the information she needed to keep her home, family and job running smoothly.

I learned the basics and so much more from each of them. They both had their own systems and personal styles yet the outcome was the same. It worked, it was simple yet stylish, do-able and affordable.

They approached organizing from different perspectives just as Elizabeth and I do.

The tradition continues.  We hope you enjoy this blog!