‘Organized Enough’

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/20/opinion/organized-enough.html

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To the Editor:

Re “Go Clean Your Room. Or Not” (Sunday Review, June 12):

Hats off to Judy Batalion for deftly exploring our emotional relationship with stuff. As she observed, disorganization can be a barrier to a life well lived. But being a slave to order is just as bad. The goal of systems is not to trap you but to free you to fully engage in life.

We can all seek to be “organized enough,” a nonjudgmental middle ground that comes from a clear definition of the purpose of order.

Organizing isn’t about being “tidy” or throwing stuff away. It’s about creating systems that provide access to the things we need to achieve our goals. It’s not about how a space looks; it’s how it functions. Organizing provides the infrastructure that reflects and supports our unique talents, skills and interests.

Life is about creating order out of chaos. It’s a life skill everyone needs, and parents can learn right alongside their children.

JULIE MORGENSTERN

New York

The writer, an organization and time management expert, is the author of “Organizing From the Inside Out.”