A container is far more than an item to make your home look nice. Keep reading for the real purpose behind containers.
Sometimes the purpose of a container is pretty straight forward, like a hamper to hold dirty clothes. But other times the utility isn't always as apparent at face value.
Top 3 Reasons to Use Containers.
“It is not uncommon for me to have a client who feels that they don't need containers, or that they are simply an "extra" if you have the money for them; the cherry-on-top so to speak.”
It is not uncommon for me to have a client who feels that they don't need containers, or that they are simply an "extra" if you have the money for them; the cherry-on-top so to speak. While I never force anyone to do anything, it is part of my job to provide information to help my clients make the most informed decisions for their situation. To that end, here are my top three reasons to use containers.
No. 1: Containers Keep Your Stuff from Spreading
It is easy to think, "Oh I'll just line things up every time I put them away. I don't need a container it will just get in the way." Here's the thing, unless you are the only one accessing these items and you are particularly dedicated, I see this plan fall apart more often than not. To better explain why this doesn't work as well as we think it should, I'll share one of my favorite analogies.
We humans have organized where we live by country, state, city, street, and home. Similarly, think about where your stuff will "live". For example, an item can live in your home, in the kitchen, in the pantry, on the dry goods shelf, with the pasta. Starting out generally, and getting more specific.
In the same way that we mark boundaries for countries, states, cities, streets, and our home properties, we need to mark boundaries for our stuff. A container is really just like a fence - it marks "the home" for whatever goes into that container and prevents that stuff from accidentally spreading outward, often uncontrollably. It helps your stuff stay in "the home" you've given it!
No. 2: Containers Cut Visual Clutter
“Containers are a really simply way to group multiple objects together into a "single item", making it easier for your brain to process, and saving you energy!”
In my experience containers are often viewed as a way to "hide" your mess and make your home look nicer. While this can be true, the impact of a container on your visual clutter is FAR more powerful!
See, our brains are wired with a filter. This filter essentially takes all our sensory inputs and determines "What is this?" & "Is it important". Based on the answer to those two questions it either passes the information on to our conscious brain, or just lets the information go.
Here's the thing, while this process is a very important one, it costs energy to process everything! This is why we naturally feel more relaxed in clear, clean, orderly spaces. Clutter quite literally makes you more tired!
There are a few tricks to help our brains out in the filtering process. One way is to chunk multiple objects together so your brain views them as a single item. This is why people are drawn to making piles. (e.g A pile is a single item for your brain to identify which cost less energy than processing each individual paper.)
Containers are a really simply way to group multiple objects together into a "single item", making it easier for your brain to process, and saving you energy!
( *note: everyone has different clutter tolerances. That is to say some people are comfortable spending more energy on their number of visual items, often because they get some other benefit from it. It can become tricky as we usually don't live with people who have the exact same clutter tolerances as us. If you'd like more support in how to discover and handle differing clutter tolerances, reach out I'd love to talk with you and see how I can help!)
No. 3: Containers Create Easy Access
One of my favorite things to do with containers is to create "grab stations". This is essentially a place for all of the items I may need for a particular task all in one place. Some examples are all of my nursing supplies, all the supplies to pack a lunch, all the kid snacks, diapers, wipes & bum cream (we have multiple throughout our home!), or cleaning supplies (think all the supplies to clean the bathrooms in one bin, all the supplies to clean the kitchen in one bin etc.). This can be a really efficient way to use containers.
Another way containers can help make it easier to access your stuff is shelves. Many times people think deeper shelves are better, because you can fit more on them. The catch is you often aren't able to reach the stuff in the back without having to move the things in front. Use a container and it becomes much easier to reach those items in the back, or even those items up high.
What are your favorite uses for containers? Share in the comments below.