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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
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More Than Pretty Boxes summary
Carrie M. Lane
How the Rise of Professional Organizing Shows Us the Way We Work Isn't Working
17 mins
Brief summary
More Than Pretty Boxes examines how the design and perception of objects influence our cultural and personal identities. It encourages reflection on consumer habits, emphasizing the impact of aesthetics on our everyday decision-making.
Table of Contents
More Than Pretty Boxes
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Key idea 1 of 5
The organization myth
Consider your kitchen counter. If yours is like most peoples’ today, it has become a dumping ground for mail, keys, chargers, school notices, and work documents. The usual solution is to buy sorting bins and label them. Yet within days, the piles return. Why? Because the real issue isn't about storage – it's about how your space needs to handle multiple functions in an increasingly complex daily life.
You might have experienced this moment: standing in a home organization store, surrounded by beautiful storage solutions, convinced that this time, the right containers will solve your clutter problems. But Carrie Lane's research with professional organizers reveals that this focus on storage products to solve clutter often masks deeper issues with how we live and work today.
Professional organizers have discovered that effective organization isn't about containing chaos in pretty boxes. Instead, it's about creating systems that match how you actually live.
The myth of perfect organization has become particularly burdensome for women, who often shoulder the majority of household management. Historically, women have shouldered this responsibility in both spheres, first as unpaid domestic laborers, then as secretaries and office managers, and now often as both professionals and primary home organizers.
The professional organizing industry emerged when women began monetizing these long-practiced skills. They transformed work they'd been expected to do for free into a valued service. Yet even today, the expectation that women should naturally excel at and enjoy organizing creates an unfair burden. In many households, women still carry the mental load of remembering, planning, and maintaining organizational systems on top of their paid work.
Take the modern home office. When both partners work remotely, women often end up managing not just their own workspace but the entire household's organization. The solution isn't more storage products — it's recognizing and redistributing this invisible labor.
Start by tracking who handles different organizational tasks in your household. Document not just who puts things away, but who notices what needs organizing, who plans the systems, and who maintains them.
To break free from the organization myth, start by observing how you actually use your spaces. Note where things accumulate, and your own daily patterns. Instead of fighting them, design systems around them.
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What is More Than Pretty Boxes about?
More Than Pretty Boxes (2024) investigates how professional organizers do far more than just help people tidy up – they reveal fundamental problems with how modern life is structured, especially for women. Through deep examination of the organizing industry, the book shows how struggles with clutter and chaos reflect larger systemic issues, while offering a path forward through both personal and collective change.
Who should read More Than Pretty Boxes?
- People who feel overwhelmed by traditional organizing advice
- Curious culture mavens exploring modern work and consumption patterns
- Anyone interested in minimalism, decluttering, or simple living who wants to understand the deeper psychology behind their relationship with stuff
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