Why we love storage boxes

Years ago, I was told that one of the reasons that people adore flowers is for their symmetry.

It amazes me to think how a flower can be perfectly symmetrical — and how both men and women are drawn to this beauty. This certainly applies when we see perfectly organized storage jars, boxes or tins — organized and sorted by specific item, whether headphones, shoes, or kids’ toys. It makes us feel good, in that it looks perfectly neat and symmetrical.

Psychology contributes hugely to our motivation. We get motivated by our minds, telling us exactly what will make us happy. I have yet to meet a person who thinks clutter and mess are calming and beautiful. Obviously, we all have different levels of aesthetic appreciation. For some it’s a pristine museum or ‘magazine’ look. For others, a more relaxed, lived-in look. For most, the categorization of boxes and order is both pleasing to the eye, as well as to the mind.

‘Nesting’ refers to women in the final stages of pregnancy, preparing to give birth and bring home a newborn, who feel the need for things to be organized: meals in the freezer, clothes stored by size, pots and pans stacked for easy access. The need to prepare for the biggest rollercoaster of your life becomes a total priority in helping a woman feel calm and prepared. Walking through the aisles of my local supermarket, I spied a whole set of jars in the same size and my eyes lit up! I immediately had to reorganize all of my spices, that I now keep in the fridge — labelled clearly for both aesthetic and functional purposes. At 39 weeks pregnant, the end result in that task was a win — perfect symmetry, and a feeling of control over one more thing in this unexpected time, when nothing is in my control.

For me, organizing projects are fun and an enjoyable task rather than dull and time-consuming. I get my kids involved and share my enthusiasm with them. I’m often met with the response “wow, that’s so nice.” At a clients’ home, when a child comes in and sees the ‘after’ or even the ‘during’, I immediately ask them “don’t you love this?” and they usually agree! The reason why I ask them is because I want them to express gratitude and appreciation to their parents who work hard to care for their wellbeing, which includes a clean and organized home. Not only that, but positivity spreads positivity and the child often then does something voluntarily, on their own initiative, to show his or her contribution to the changes in their home.

I invite you to ask yourself — what organizational or storage project would make you happy right now? The beauty is in the symmetry.