And welcome back! It's Day 4 of our #organizethis challenge, and today's the second-most satisfying day. (Tomorrow, when we label and enjoy our good works, is the most satisfying). Today is when we take our bins and our systems and we put it all back together. For me, this is the best and the most challenging part of the whole exercise. Really - even more than purging. I am soooomething of a perfectionist, but I also really like to take my time and make things perfect. Is that the same thing?

No, but not really. You can see from these photos that perfection isn't so much the goal as neatness and simplicity. I do focus, a lot, on a few organizing principles. (Heh. See what I did there?). Let's talk about those.

1. Group like with like. This is the simplest of all organizing principles, and it's pretty intuitive, no? Above, you can see that all my fabric is together, in those Trofast bins I talked about yesterday, folded file-style so I can easily what I have. Put the same things in the same container(s) and in the same area in your home, so you always know where to go and you're never confused. Don't have a nice wrapping station in your craft room and then cram gift bags you get into your front hall closet. Keep that schtuff together, yo. (I have two exceptions to this rule: scissors, which belong in every room of the house, and clothes, which I think it's ok to keep in different areas if they are out of season or you are or aren't pregnant or whatever). But anyway: Put like things together. And then...

2. Be complementary. Meaning, keep things suit each other together. Play matchmaker! My cabinet, above, stores things I tend to use as a group: Flours, nuts, dried fruits, chocolate chips. You know, all the stuff I process into snacks the Internet insists on calling "healthy," but I know are just raw cookies. It's really handy to be able to open this cabinet and see it all laid out there; it often jogs my memory to include dates in those "healthy" cookies, or sparks an idea to try something different. This principle extends throughout my home. What goes with wrapping materials? Mailing materials!! They go hand in hand so often that it makes sense to store them near each other, so you have easy access to both at the same time.

3. Choose the right bin. As you look at your mound of stuff and your mound of bins and have things all sorted into like piles, things start to get real. Now you're in the nitty gritty, figuring out what makes the most sense. Sometimes, the answer is easy because a group of things will only fit in one box or spot, and you've got to stick with that. But often, you're actually facing some decisions here. Should hot glue go into a clear shoebox? Markers - into a drawer or a hanging bucket? These are the questions that keep me up at night.

Sigh. Wish I was joking about that.

4. Organize for your worst days. This is a huge challenge. But you must make things accessible and easy. You can just stack things up to the sky, but that'll only work until you need something from he bottom of the stack. The whole point of this challenge is to make your life easier and better, and that means that you have think a little bit hard about things now. Under my sink, I made use of some cabinet extenders, drawers and a lazy susan to make sure I could get to everything easily - and that everything was easy to put back. This last is key, by the way. If it's not easy enough to put back, you'll never put it back right and all your work will be for naught. A good test of whether your organizational system is too complicated will naturally arise. At some point, after you've carefully organized everything, you'll find something you already put away. I just organized Lou's toys in her big girl room, for example, and then I came across a Barbie car in family room. (Of course). I knew I had passed the organizational test when I didn't mind and huff and puff and have to yank down a bunch of things and open and close anything to put it away - I just tossed it into its new home (patting myself on the back the whole way, natch). If you find yourself enacting the former scenario, you have to go back to square 1. You will never, ever, be more motivated to keep things going than right at this moment, so if something already seems like a pain to you, fuhggetabouit. Organize for your most tired, stressed-out self. Not your Pinterest shelf. S/he doesn't exist. And your kids and spouse? Come on. You have to organize for the lowest common denominator. When I train for races, I train for a bad day, not a good one. Same principle.

All of which is to say, though it might seem like the simplest - put Thing A into Box A - this part is the crux, and it's a Process. I recommend settling in. A glass of wine or iced coffee or long-lasting stick of gum or something can be helpful. Not only is there some thinking involved, but it often takes a few tries to get everything right, so be patient. Above is a Round 1 shot of my craft closet. It's not pretty or done - it was an early attempt, which I then re-evaluated and took another stab at. This is something that I think is part of good, lasting organization - being fluid and flexible. I think you have to live with things for a little before you really know if you nailed it. On the right is second stab, closer than the first to being finished, and I've started in on labeling so you can get a sneak peek at what we'll be doing tomorrow. That's right: It's label and bask time! My favorite time.

So yeah -- these posts have been super wordy, but it's a subject about which I tend to wax on. Best of luck today!