My Thoughts on What I Like to Call "Vanity Organization Culture"

The sneaky organization movement that appears helpful but is actually harmful.

I don’t know if anyone else has labelled this trend – but I’ve become aware of (and, I’ll admit, at times joined in with) a side of the internet that is absolutely obsessed with organization – at an unhealthy level. I’m calling it “vanity organization culture.”

I would define vanity organization culture as a movement that takes organization to an extreme in a way that no longer serves a real purpose.

It looks like this:

• Row after row of perfectly matching baskets and bins, all labeled to a tee.

• Pantries in which every single piece of the usual tacky, colorful packaging has been replaced with uniform clear glass jars and plastic tubs.

• Closets color-coded with matching hangers.

• An excess of cleaning supplies, like sponges and laundry detergent pods, removed from their original packaging and arranged in neat little plastic bins.

• Houses so pristine they don’t look lived-in.

It seems harmless – even helpful – at first glance. Look a little more closely, however, and I think it’s doing more harm than good long-term.

As they say, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing.

Here are 5 Issues I Have with Vanity Organization Culture:

1. It Makes Organization Seem Expensive

   
   

   

   
   

Something I've seen people comment on my posts about is that baskets are so expensive.

Yes, it can be expensive to get nice baskets and bins at home stores. It's even more expensive if you want them all to perfectly match.

However, if you shift your focus to prioritize function over aesthetics, it opens up a whole new world of much cheaper organization.

Thrift stores, discount stores, clearance aisles, garage sales, and even your grandma’s spare bedroom that she never uses are suddenly teeming with possibility.

My Advice? Budget for several nice baskets that will be out in plain sight and used as part of your decor. For the rest, release your inhibitions and work with what you can find.

2. It Makes Organization Harder Than It Has to Be

   
   

   

   
   

I don't know who needs to hear this, but pouring bottles and jars of stuff into other bottles and jars just because they're fancier creates way more work for you.

At this point, the organization efforts are defeating their purpose – which is to make your home more functional and your life easier. Getting back to the basics of your goals for organizing in the first place can be helpful to determine if what you’re doing is unnecessary.

A Little Note: If transferring something into another container makes it easier to access, by all means, go right ahead. I'm not talking about cases like this.

To be clear, I think organizing for aesthetic purposes has its time and place. I definitely add baskets and bins just to make my home look better if certain items are constantly left out in plain sight.

However, my go-to guideline is that I don't worry so much about how it looks in closed spaces. This means you can see lots of tacky labels in my pantry and my drawers are full of mismatched sorters that still get the job done.

I only see these spaces for the brief second I am getting something out of them.

If organizing a space a certain way offers no practical advantage and the space can't even be seen in plain sight, consider all the other ways you could spend that precious time and energy elsewhere.

3. It Makes Us Discontent

   
   

   

   
   

If the standard of organization you measure your home against is an Instagram feed of perfectly curated photos featuring someone’s ultra-pricey sets of matching baskets and bins or unbelievably organized refrigerator that you imagine stays that way 24/7 – you’re setting yourself up for failure.

You’re always going to feel like your home isn’t enough.

You’re always going to be on a wild goose chase after unrealistic goals that don’t may not even make sense for your home and your family.

This often happens when we aren’t clear about what our goals are. If we don’t take time to figure this out for ourselves and instead keep our goals vague, society will put ideals in our minds without us even realizing it.

And the real trick? Those ideals will always be just within reach – yet always remain unreachable.

4. It Causes Mental Health Issues

   
   

   

   
   

As a perfectionist trying to recover from my uptight, all-or-nothing ways, I’m especially susceptible to vanity organization culture. I’ve noticed it can be a hindrance in the healing process.

Here are some of the ways it has impacted my mental health:

• I sometimes struggle to feel fully settled because it seems like there is always a new, better way to organize my stuff.

• After taking a lot of time to declutter my entire house, I always feel like there is another layer to declutter.

• I often feel anxious when things are out of place in my home.

• Sometimes, I throw myself into organization projects to put off dealing with difficult emotions.

  
  

Organization can even be a result of control issues. It’s a way of making us feel in control of our environment.

Although I’ve become aware of these issues, I haven’t fully worked through them yet – and I’m not completely sure how. One thing I do know – vanity organization culture doesn’t help.

In fact, it overtly encourages ongoing perfectionism.

It creates endless, unhelpful goals that waste time and energy. It puts up an illusion that peace is not possible until all the goals are accomplished – and they never can be.

5. It’s Just Repackaged Materialism

   
   

   

   
   

The obsession of stuff, or materialism, tends to preoccupy us in a way that leaves no room for more important matters.

Things like connecting with people, learning new hobbies, or enjoying nature are easily overshadowed by stuff when we let it consume us.

Materialism leads to trading in our enjoyment of the important things for hollow items. They seem shiny and new initially, but quickly fade into the same old, boring stuff.

While it’s more obvious that endlessly desiring to buy new stuff quickly becomes problematic in this way, the desire to organize stuff seems like a good thing at first glance – and it absolutely can be.

However, it can also be taken too far – and vanity organization culture does just that.

We become convinced that we will be happy as soon as our stuff is arranged a certain way. Not to mention, buying a few new items (baskets and bins, to name a couple) is a prerequisite for this happiness.

So, if Not Vanity Organization Culture, What Is a Healthy View of Organization?

For me, healthy organization is about stewardship. If I’m using organization as a tool to steward the stuff I’ve been given, I’m using it in a healthy way.

Organization should be a way to support all of the important things in life – not an end in and of itself.

For example, healthy organization should:

• Make life easier so I can spend the time and energy it saves elsewhere

• Create a peaceful setting for my family and friends to enjoy

• Help me get the most use out of the stuff I own to cut down on waste

• Cause me to evaluate what I buy more carefully so I use my money wisely

• Focus on function more than aesthetics

  
  

To me, life is centered around relationships at the end of the day. If the way I'm stewarding (or organizing) my stuff is keeping me from stewarding my relationships well, this is a sign I've gone too far.

Has Your Life Been Impacted by Vanity Organization Culture? Do You Agree or Disagree With My Thoughts on It?

Let's start talking in the comments!