When I was a wee lass, I loved watching “Let's Make a Deal”. My favorite part of the show occurred during the closing credits. Host Monty Hall would sidle up to a woman in the audience and ask her if she had a particular item in her purse. More often than not, he asked for something ridiculous, like a half-eaten pickle. If she had the item, he would offer her $1,000 for it. I was amazed that, every once in a while, he would happen upon a woman with a pickle in her purse. During much of my adult life, I could have won $1,000.
As Katharine the Great Organizer, I have dedicated myself to uncovering ways to make day-to-day tasks easier, less time consuming, and – whenever possible – fun. My latest experiment: Arrange the contents of my purse so I can find any item in it quickly. I've tried purses with compartments and purse organizer inserts but to no avail. I still wasted a lot of time and created a lot of unnecessary frustration every time I looked for a mint, a pen, or my car keys.
Here are some things I discovered when I started this experiment:
1. Ask yourself “When was the last time a game show host offered me $1,000 to produce an obscure item from my pocketbook?” If the answer is “Never”, proceed to step 2.
2. Empty the contents of your purse onto a table.
3. Set aside all of the items that you do not use on a day-to-day basis (e.g. binoculars for the ballet, opera, or birdwatching in the Amazon rainforest).
4. Assign a space at home (e.g. a drawer in your vanity, a shoebox in your closet) to house items needed for special occasions.
5. Group similar items into categories, such as cosmetics, medicine, electronic gadgets & their accessories, money, etc.
6. Place each group of items in a small bag of a distinct texture and shape. Here's what I use:
Now, you should be able to find any item in your purse with your eyes closed. Try it out, make any changes you might need, and let me know how you fare.
As Katharine the Great Organizer, I have dedicated myself to uncovering ways to make day-to-day tasks easier, less time consuming, and – whenever possible – fun. My latest experiment: Arrange the contents of my purse so I can find any item in it quickly. I've tried purses with compartments and purse organizer inserts but to no avail. I still wasted a lot of time and created a lot of unnecessary frustration every time I looked for a mint, a pen, or my car keys.
Here are some things I discovered when I started this experiment:
- Finding something in my purse started with fumbling through my purse and ended with removing half of its contents.
- Although I didn't have a pickle in my pocketbook, I had much more than I would ever need on any given day.
- Most of the stuff in my purse could be divided into distinct categories.
- Several small bags in my purse (e.g. cosmetic case, medicine pouch) were hard to distinguish from each other since they were of similar size and fabric/material.
1. Ask yourself “When was the last time a game show host offered me $1,000 to produce an obscure item from my pocketbook?” If the answer is “Never”, proceed to step 2.
2. Empty the contents of your purse onto a table.
3. Set aside all of the items that you do not use on a day-to-day basis (e.g. binoculars for the ballet, opera, or birdwatching in the Amazon rainforest).
4. Assign a space at home (e.g. a drawer in your vanity, a shoebox in your closet) to house items needed for special occasions.
5. Group similar items into categories, such as cosmetics, medicine, electronic gadgets & their accessories, money, etc.
6. Place each group of items in a small bag of a distinct texture and shape. Here's what I use:
- An oblong, soft plastic case for medicine
- A small, flat, leather purselet for discount cards and coupons
- A large, rectangular, recycled plastic with a zippered bag for cosmetics
- Two small satin bags hold my ear buds and my cellphone adapter.
Now, you should be able to find any item in your purse with your eyes closed. Try it out, make any changes you might need, and let me know how you fare.