I’m a word woman.
I love love love words. I love root words and compound words, alliteration and homophones, long words and short words, and made-up words.
Love ’em.
When we bought our fridge, I remember being overly giddy when it hit me how incredibly creative the brand name “Frigidaire” is. Get it? Frigid air?
If you’ve read my blog this week, you know how I have finally grasped some new concepts. If you’re tired of hearing about it, you might want to click away to some other blog, because I’m going to ramble on some more about my lightbulb realization of the week.
It hit me the other night that the root word of “container” is “contain.” Simple, really, and probably everyone else in the world, even non-word-people, got it the first time they heard it.
I didn’t.
Containers always look cool to me. Slobs love seeing organized spaces, we just don’t get how to achieve it. I used to even buy lots of containers . . . you know, because they were going to solve all of my problems.
I’m not claiming that my Root Word Realization Moment is going to change everything, but I think it’s a teeny-tiny step in the right direction.
Containers are for containing. I’ve always thought of them as being for sorting, organizing, blah blah blah. All the things that were abstract concepts for me.
Contain. Let’s use it in some sentences. “Contain yourself!” Meaning – don’t let your emotions, anger, whatever out inappropriately. “The firefighters are working to contain the fire.” Meaning – they are keeping it in one place so it doesn’t spread and cause damage or destruction.
Get it? Contain. So the big secret organized-types know that I don’t, is that containers aren’t just to look pretty and make a space one-time-show-off-able . . . they’re to contain things. Markers go in this container, and no where else. Markers that don’t fit in this container can’t be in our home. If they get placed to the side of the container because it’s too full, they cause damage to our home, our psyche, our peace by being a mess. If the container really truly doesn’t hold enough markers, I should get a bigger container. But if there are plenty of markers in the container to support the coloring habits of three children, I don’t need the markers that don’t fit.
If you were here, and if you knew me well enough, you would hear a very high pitched opera note at this moment.
I got this basket out of the garage sale pile, and put all of our Wii stuff in it. ALL of it.
And then, get this . . . I had been proud that I had a clear space in the pantry, designated for our home group’s paper supplies. (We don’t really use paper plates anymore, remember . . . )
I actually giggled a little when I took this picture. I mean, if I pull this out on a Sunday night, people might think I’m an organized person! Hahahahaha!!!! Wouldn’t the joke be on them?!?!
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Love those light bulb moments.
I too love containers. I love looking at them, buying them and using them. I especially love baskets in the pantry to corral spices and such. So, so much easier.
Beware though – my mom thinks if she's got something in a container it's organized. Well, three storage sheds, a grainery, half a garage and who knows where else later – it may be "organized" but she certainly isn't clutter free.
It can be a slippery slope those darn containers!
Good luck with your continued success!
Huh. Who'd have thunk it? :>)
Good luck with your quest. I'm attending the Savvy Blogging Summit too! I thought I would stop by and visit. I like your site a lot. Thanks for sharing. Have a great day!
Love that last picture. I don't have many areas of my home that look that neat. It's more of an organized mess. Looking forward to meeting you at Savvy Blogging Summit.
I love containers and eventhough the ones I used arent organized the contain things neatly. The best thing is when you open my front closet and I have pink baskets for my daughter and then blue ones for other storage. It looks neat but I truly dont remember what I put in them.
That is okay with me baby steps!!!!!!!!!!
I could spend SOOOO much money on containers. I've had to learn over the years not to buy every one that I think will "fix" my mess. Now I mostly limit myself to dollar store containers and only when I have a specific purpose in mind. But you're right about the concept- it took me a while to get it, too. If it doesn't fit, it's excess. Thanks for the reminder– especially good timing as I get ready to go through the overflowing boxes in my closet tonight!
I came to your blog from "Tangled Zen" and I'm so glad I did! I have been looking at your archives and can't wait to read them all.
I too love containers but haven't yet nailed down the concept that if the itms have outgorwn the container, then I don't need anymore of those items. What can I say, I'm a work in progress-lol!
MAMom, Welcome! I'm glad you found me. Definitely understand the "work in progress" thing. Everytime I make a little progress, something happens to remind me that I have so far to go!
🙂 Love it. The right container can make all the difference.
Actually, the joke is on you…because you ARE on your way to being an organized person!
“I actually giggled a little when I took this picture. I mean, if I pull this out on a Sunday night, people might think I’m an organized person! Hahahahaha!!!! Wouldn’t the joke be on them?!?!”
This literally made me LOL. I love this blog, Nony. 🙂
Ok, then… what does “counter” mean? Because I’m pretty sure it means “a place to count the number of piles one can create on it.” 😉
Ha ha ha! You made me spit my coffee out!
At our house that is the definition of table…haha!
My church is sponsoring a family from a west African country.. The father has not seen his wife or his two daughters seven and mine, My friend añd I are spearheading a drive to furnish the entire apartment. F
God has been good to us. As I read your blog, I realized we forgot about tupperware type containers. I have a lot of of these añd I will gift them to the family. Thànk you for posting àll your thoughts – you shook my bràiñ iñto açtioñ¡
I still remember the day that my best friend & I made that discovery… We were in our first apartment, and a light bulb just turned on suddenly – “Frigidaire. Like FRIGID air. Like it’s cold in there. Get it?!” It was a profound moment! 🙂
Oh, I love the firefighting analogy!
On a side note, your comment about looking organized when you pull out the basket of paper goods reminded me of years ago, when I led the women’s group at our church. The women in the group always went on and on about how organized I was. (And I was about THAT. Really.) My husband’s response was always to threaten to invite them to the house.
I was reading this comment and thinking about how people say that to me, too – because I’m good at organizing people and planning events, although my house is a disaster – then I was thinking that my sister had talked about the same thing, years ago. About her church ladies group. Exactly like in this comment.
Oh. Look.
The comment is From. My. Sister.
This is funny. sounds like something me and my sister would do
Ok, so this one hit me a few months ago. U by Kotex… YOU BUY KOTEX.
So true! (and so manipulative?!?!?!)
Whoa.
Um, you just gave me my own lightbulb moment with this concept of “contain”er. DUH!!! Thank you! I just discovered your blog from a link from a friend that was actually a different post. But you have inspired me and given me a million ah-ha moments! You are now one of my favorite blogs!
Yay! I’m so glad! That concept was a true game-changer for me. Welcome!
Love this. I too am a container hound. Every time I see something that is supposed to be used to organize stuff I have to decide if I have a use for it before I can think about buying it. If not I must pull myself painfully away. I love to have thing neat and organized and clutter free. It makes my world right side up if at least almost everything has its place. My main problem is that I’m the only one in my house with this problem and so chaos is always at my heels. I’m finally coming to the conclusion that its okay for things to be a little messy if we are making memories and spending time together. I can always clean it up later. Neatness has its place as long as it doesn’t overtake life.
my container story is a work in progress as well. Found some clear bins with lids that stack on top of each other daily at Lowes. Hallelujah. My sons have more toys than FAO Schwarz and so having clear bins list and see what’s inside them and also keeps the more organized.
wow I really despise spelling autocorrect. Sorry for the poor grammar in my above post.
I recently had two aha moments. First, when you put a random pile o’stuff, say from the top of your night table, on a pretty tray and arrange it neatly, it becomes a collection instead of a random pile. This would be the post-decluttered stuff that has to stay there. Plus it’s easier to lift one tray to dust instead of having to move twenty things and then put them all back – increases the likelihood that I will actually dust.
And second, if I stick something in a box or a bin or under the bed, I’ll forget all about it. Unless I make myself a schedule that includes looking in that specific place. Out of sight, out of mind is true for me. So I can’t keep bills in a file folder unless I have a scheduled bill-paying time and know exactly where to find them.
And that’s perfectly ok because it’s all about knowing who I am & how to make it work for me. I love this blog.
I’ve been reading your blog for a few months now & I enjoy it very much. I’m going through a “life change,” but not PMS! My youngest has entered Kindergarten and I’ve been a sahm for 10 years. I’d love to start blogging and get paid for it – provided I can produce interesting enough material! I have no idea how bloggers get paid or how to begin. My husband’s work hours have just been cut, and I want to start contributing financially yet still not have to obtain childcare (also, I may begin home schooling one of my kids). My blog material would hinge on my approach to mothering an extremely over-the-top, strong-willed child for the most part, since that’s where most of my worries tend to go! I plan to begin researching how to do this and maybe one day I’ll get to meet you at a blogger conference! (I really, REALLY, hope!)
THank you so much for talking about this in your podcast. I just started listening but this was very eye-opening for me. I forget how you say you realized this concept, but I praise God for letting you learn it then share it. This is something I also haven’t actually “gotten” until now.
I’ve been using the container concept with myself for a while. Yesterday Hubs and I were decluttering our shared desk (is there a quicker road to marital dissatisfaction than two people who frequently work from home sharing a desk?). The man tends to have sticky fingers when it comes to pens, so I’m constantly dealing with pen clutter. I’ve tried a few times to convince him to only keep the pens he likes, but it hasn’t stopped.
First, I tried just pulling out the extra pens that I didn’t care for, then thought about where to put them. I have an “overflow” box, but it’s usually full, and it takes some maneuvering to get to. Instead, I pulled all the pens and things out of the cupholder and suggested that we each pull out our favorites until the cup was full (but not crammed like before). Then I explained the “contain”er concept and emphasized that we only need as many pens as will fit comfortably in the cup. His eyes opened wide, and for once I think he was on board with why I throw out handfuls of extra [cheap] pens. I think the “contain”er concept will be used even more in our house now!
I had a lightbulb moment on Saturday afternoon as I was cleaning out my own and my kids’ dressers. I finally “got” the container method. I throw out any mismatched socks that I was keeping to find a match and decided that 20 pairs of underwear are plenty for me. I didn’t save any since they didn’t fit in mine or the kids’ containers ei: dresser drawers. I can open and shut the drawers. It was truly my very own lightbulb moment. I took five trashbags full of clothes out of my house! Thanks for sharing your journey!!
While you’re on the subject. This is something that has haunted me for a LONG time…
Just how many plastic containers does a NORMAL person have?
I have NO idea! I’ll ask the next one I meet!
OK, to be more specific, how many plastic FOOD containers does a normal person have?
From what I can tell about 50 purchased for specific purposes, 10-20 from your mom and grandma, and 3000 from Chinese take-out!
Favorite post so far! Because honestly, I never separated the word down to its root and thought about it. I too thought that was just what fancy organized people used but practical people don’t. Lightbulb!
Your the first person who I have read from that writes from the point of view of how my brain works. It is so much fun reading your progress and lightbulb moments instead of reading a 10 things organized people do every day. It’s almost like I needed someone who has been there done that to show me the way verse someone who normally thinks that way.
I think to myself often how excited I get when so use a container for something. I feel like I climbed Mount Everest. And then laugh because most people probably think “duh, that isn’t special, that’s normal”
To me it is special because I am learning.
“Your the first person who I have read from that writes from the point of view of how my brain works. It is so much fun reading your progress and lightbulb moments instead of reading a 10 things organized people do every day. It’s almost like I needed someone who has been there done that to show me the way verse someone who normally thinks that way.”
Yep, totally agree with this! It’s comforting to know there are so many of us out there. I used to think I was the only one. I love learning from Nony’s learning process!
I’m afraid my brain is just like yours so I guess I’ll have to keep reading too. And the one in one out didn’t make sense to me either, but when you explain it after having figuring it out it almost seems like a tangible concept. >.>
My natural-organizer sister would get a clear plastic bin with a lid for the plates, etc. ??? Sure does look better! And how. Has Frigidaire. NEVER. Clicked with me! ? Duhhhh…
I love your blog, and the way you think! An acquaintance once described me as “so organized, it’s scary,” which is mostly true. However, I have my rough spots, too (books and papers), and I’m married to a guy who doesn’t think at all like me (clothes hoarder, among other things), so I find lots to learn in your blogs. I laughed out loud at your line, “wouldn’t the joke be on them?” Believe me, we all feel that way about our houses.
You crack me up. In a good way. really, I am nto laughing at you. It is just, I read your blog and often I get this picture of you writing with a sort of smirk. I get that feeling too. Kind of an I got this now, feeling. It makes me chuckle.
I really enjoy your blog. I am a flylady reject. Her ideas may work for some, but for me, no. My home doesn’t operate like her’s does.
Clutter isn’t really my deal, keeping things moving smoothly where I am not exhausted at the end so put off the tidying up, is.
hugs honey, and thank you for being there for us!
Love your website. My house is so cluttered and I really am not happy with it. I’ve been reading the articles on your site and they are so helpful. Thanks for sharing.
I just bought your book on audible- without even reading the summary because I am a slob. I. LOVE. YOU. Also, this container thing is life-changing- from what I can tell, I didn’t understand it before and now I do and my kitchen drawers are navigable. Hooray!
I finished listening to your book and had my own container lightbulb moment. Time is a container! You can only stuff so much into your day. How much is determined by your busyness threshold. Even if it is something good it won’t fit into an already stuffed schedule. In order to add one more thing to your day, you will have to not do something else – one in/one out. Wow!
I just found you via Podcast and this is CRACKING me up! We are soul sisters 🙂 I’ve been MESSY my whole life so I got addicted to listening to organizing podcasts. Right before you started this blog I took a challenge with a neighbor from http://www.FlyLady.com. But that was too much for me. Then I found Lisa Woodruff (who I LOVE!) at http://www.organize365.com. Next I found Kathi Lipp at http://www.clutterfreeacademy.com (who I also Love!) Last night– I was searching something on podcast and I found you! I’ve now listened to about 5 podcasts while doing some work and I love you now too! Thanks for being authentic. I recently hit “publish” on my own blog after lots of prompting from God as well…and I created and organizing section all the while laughing bc I’m NOT Naturally and organizer! 🙂 I feel free listening to you and browsing over your site seeing your success! Love it! Thanks girl for putting all this out there. I look forward to a long virtual relationship (I have lots of bingeing and catching up to do!)
I know about “lightbulb moments” and your blog is reminding me of a few of them, and adding to the urge to finally handle my slippery slope of slobdom!
Years ago, I realized I felt overwhelmed by my asthmatic first husband’s mother’s disdain for my housecleaning. I felt it (the dirt) was never ending, until I realized (lightbulb) that a full cleaning meant that particular batch of dirt was GONE. The next batch was NEW (that is, NOT never ending). Helped me cope in that situation but since fell down the rabbit hole. Now that hubby (and his mother) are long gone and current hubby of 30 years is a gentle, undemanding soul, I need to finally figure this thing out. So glad to find a kindred spirit! Already howled out loud more times that I can count!
Haha- your brain works like mine! I remember a lightbulb moment when I friend said she only keeps as many books as fit in her bookshelf. What a novel idea!:-).
Thank you for this post! I never made that connection before, that CONTAINers were a natural limit to what can be contained. I recently Kon-Maried my house, which worked pretty well in most aspects of my life… it made me think harder about the things that I ask for or buy, which has kept most of my slobbishness at bay. As the mother of a 1 and 4 year old, though, my craft closet was overflowing with paint, beads, paper, random objects I thought we could transform, and more. I realized I was sort of hoarding some of it, waiting for the “perfect” craft to use it on. This concept has given me the mental freedom to use the stuff that has sat for a long time. That way, when more cute supplies come my way, it’s a joy instead of overwhelming, because I know where I can put them!
I about danced a jig late last night when I realized that an old set of dresser drawers from my mom’s house, which were NOT a good size for desk items like notebooks, IS the perfect size to place files in, if I turn them sideways. It’s just deep enough and tall enough. I happened to have a bunch of art paper and project things organized in a bunch of files that did not have a proper home. The files are PACKED and overflowing with scrapbooking paper that I KNOW I will not put to use now. If I purge the extras, these files will fit PERFECTLY in my new contain-er- an heirloom container at that! Happy Me!
Oh wow. I can’t believe I never really understood it before. Passing from “Is this object (potentially) useful” to “Does it fit in the space I have allocated to that type of objects” allowed me to make so much progress!
Now I have to go and declutter to make space for my favourite things by sorting out through my closet full of… empty boxes that can potentially hold stuff. Yeah I’m the kind of person that collects containers *facepalm*
I read your book and am in the TYHB course, and am reading your blog from the beginning and I can’t tell you how cool it is to see the origin of the Container Concept here!
I have finally admitted that I’m probably a closet hoarder. My husband and I have lived in this 1200 SF condo for almost 20 years. We exist here with all the stuff from my previous home (that was about 30% larger) along with all the stuff we’ve accumulated. In the past few years my arthritis has gotten worse and I retired last year. Every time I attempted to decluttering was was almost instantly overwhelmed, and my efforts seemed to just make a bigger mess. I’d read dozens of decluttering and organizing books but none of them seemed to help me. Then I came across one of your books,then I devoured all of them. You were describing my mess and my struggles. All I can say is you are a GODDESS! Your methods work for me. I’ve had to tweak a few of them, but the basics are the same. They work for me! To the casual observer it doesn’t look much better., but I can see a HUGE difference. I feel like I can breathe easier. I still have a ways to go, but now I have momentum. I tend to have emotional attachments to stuff, and your “my head doesn’t need to explode” principle has helped me overcome that. Your “CONTAIN-er” explanation has been a game changer also. I still hit a snag sometimes, but it is overcome-able. My husband is planning on retiring by the end of the year and my goal is to have my decluttering done by then. From there, it’s mostly maintenance decluttering. Your books have been a godsend. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
Container…wow. I’m a senior who will have a monthly “cleaner” coming for the first time next week. I look around and see all these little piles of “stuff” that need to be moved…and I have some lovely baskets in a giveaway box…lightbulb moment…