Looking for Support
11 Jan
Hello, my name is Katie Phelps, and I’m addicted to organizing things and then reorganizing them…
I think it may be nearly time to start a support group, so I think I’m going to call it Organizers Anonymous.
The other day, I was looking through my emails and I realized that I had quite a few “Better Home and Garden” emails that I hadn’t read. I opened each email and glanced through the topics, opening the topics I thought would be interesting in new tabs. When I was done going through my emails and I looked at the tabs, I realized I had a problem. Every single new tab I had opened had something to do with organizing:
- Savvy Ways to Store Food
- Keep Small Appliances out of Sight
- Creative Ways to Store Dishes
- Our Best Cleaning Shortcuts
- Make the Most out of Your Mudroom
- Laundry Room Storage Solutions
- Do It All Entryways
- The Versatile Butler’s Pantry
I’m not one to fall for the magazine displays at grocery stores, but the few times the magazine marketers have trapped me is when it’s a special organization issue.
I can’t count the number of times that I have reorganized my cubical or the way I keep track of my projects.
The aisle at Target with all the storage containers and things is horribly tempting every time I go in the store, I try to avoid it so I don’t come home with something new.
You may be thinking to yourself that having an addiction to organizing things isn’t a bad thing, but for me, it can be. My big problem is that I never actually organize the things that REALLY need it. I organize and reorganize the same things over and over again (my movies, under my sink in the bathroom, my desk at work, the cutting table at work, my makeup bag) and neglect the others, like my office. It is currently a disaster. There is so much junk on Bryan’s desk that he can’t even use his extra monitor, my desk is not piled quite as high, but still in piles and I’m afraid to even look into the closet.
On Saturday, I decided to do something extra productive and clean out and organize our medicine cupboard and it turned into every upper cupboard except one and every lower cupboard besides two. But I completed the task and it feels WONDERFUL. So for this next weekend: I’m taking on the office.
Wish me luck — and may my newly discovered “addiction” actually be a help and not a hindrance.

OK I clicked on all of those articles because I want to read them too. Can I be in your support group?
I totally need to join too. I’m definitely obsessed with organization. And Kaleb can drive me nuts sometimes with his disorganized ways (which I know is totally normal for a kid, but all the same, it makes me freak out sometimes). So I’ve definitely had to let go of being organized in most areas of my house!
Hey! Congratulations on the boy!! Isn’t being pregnant great!!
I so wish I was organized. Do you want to come organize my place next?