My two good friends, G & A, are on their honeymoon traveling all over Europe in a rental car. Just the other day, they sent me a photo of their car trunk. They had neatly arranged their suitcases and camping gear with food and chocolate filling in all the gaps (they are chocolate lovers). I laughed because they have been sending pictures of their tourist adventures. It was sweet of them to think of my interests and send me a picture of organization instead. I’m happy to have inspired them. Shout out to my awesome newlywed friends, A & G!
Speaking of an organized trunk, it can make a big difference for people who work out of their cars or travel to clients, outdoorsy folks and road-trippers, as well as busy parents schlepping kids to afterschool programs. A few months ago, Miriam called me and explained that she needed help with her car “office.” An educational specialist, Miriam uses many different toys and books to work with young clients in their homes. She needed help organizing her trunk so it was easy to grab what she needed before an appointment, and put it away quickly afterwards.
Car trunks are challenging to organize because the space is so limited, and it may be necessary to secure things so they don’t bounce around and get mixed up. Miriam and I talked through her regular work routines, which helped her think through her process. It also helped me, as an organizer, tailor to her needs. Miriam decided it would be worth carrying fewer toys if she could easily find and then put away the right ones for each client.
She decided to group toys in bins by developmental stage. Once Miriam saw how well that solution would work, it was worth it to her to downsize toys that were too cumbersome for the bins. Sorting all the toys also made it easy to identify and discard toys that were less popular with her clients, impractical because they were too hard to clean, or simply not needed.
At the end of our session, Miriam’s face lit up looking at her organized trunk, anticipating how much more manageable it will be for her to continue to do what she loves.
Side note: These blog stories feature real clients and their organizing solutions. To maintain client privacy, all names have been changed.
This was a great idea, and I will love improving my trunk.