Why Your Organizing System Isn't Working (And How to Fix It)

Have you ever set up a beautiful organizing system—maybe labeled bins, color-coded folders, or a brand-new planner—only to find it didn't make life easier? 

I see this often with my clients. They invest time, energy, and money in creating systems to help them stay organized. But after a few weeks, the piles creep back in, the system feels like extra work, and frustration sets in. 

The system didn't fail—you just didn't have the right support around it. 

The secret? A system is only as good as the routines and habits that support it. 

Let me explain the difference—and how they work together to make life simpler, not harder. 

So What's the Difference Between Systems, Routines, and Habits? 

These three often get lumped together, but they play different roles: 

• Habits are the automatic actions you take without thinking—like brushing your teeth or checking the weather in the morning. 

• Routines are intentional sequences of actions, like the same process you go through to get yourself ready in the morning or how you settle down for bed. 

• Systems are the big-picture structures that help you reach a goal—like managing your time, staying on top of paperwork, or preparing meals during the week. 

A Real-Life Example from My Kitchen 

When our kids left home, my husband and I wanted a simpler way to manage dinners. I came up with a system that's been working beautifully after several tweaks. 

Here's what it looks like: 

1. When I buy a big piece of salmon, cod, or sirloin from Costco, I immediately cut it into dinner-sized portions for the two of us. 

2. Each piece goes into a Ziploc bag labeled with the date. 

3. I buy a few types of vegetables for two weeks—typically cauliflower, green beans, or asparagus—and keep sweet potatoes, rice, quinoa, or pasta on hand. 

4. In the morning, I take out one portion to defrost. 

5. By dinner time, I'm ready to cook with minimal effort—most meals take less than 30 minutes using the oven or air fryer. 

Let's break it down: 

• The system is an easy and simple process for making healthy dinners, which involves bulk-buying, pre-portioning, simplified shopping, and easy meal combinations. 

• The routine is what I do every time I bring groceries home (cut, label, store) and what I do each morning (take out the main dish). 

• The habit is an automatic action: adding items we need to a running grocery list, thinking about dinner in the morning, and defrosting the meat or fish. 

Because we've repeated it so many times, this system now saves us time, energy, and decision fatigue. We eat well, waste less, and spend less time wondering what's for dinner. 

Why Systems Alone Don't Work 

Let's be honest—setting up an organizing system can feel exciting and hopeful. However, without routines or habits to sustain it, most systems eventually fall apart. 

Think about it: 

• A filing cabinet won't help if you don't have a routine to sort and file papers regularly. 

• A calendar won't organize your time if you don't develop the habit of checking it daily. 

• A beautiful closet system won't stay tidy if your routine doesn't include putting clothes back where they belong. 

The system is like a container. You need daily or weekly actions to fill it or process it—and small habits to keep it running smoothly. 

How to Make a System That Actually Works 

If you've ever felt like your systems fail you, try this gentle reframe: 

Instead of building a perfect system, build a supportive one—one that matches your life, your brain, and your energy. 

Here's how: 

1. Start with what's not working. Where are you losing time, energy, or focus? What do you want to simplify? 

2. Design a simple system. Think fewer steps, fewer decisions. (If it's complicated, it won't last.) 

3. Build a routine around it. What needs to happen regularly to keep this system alive? 

4. Anchor habits to it. What's one small action you can tie to something you already do? 

For example: 

You have piles of mail on the corner of your desk, and you wish to create a system to manage incoming mail. Your system requires a drop-off place (perhaps your desk) and needs a container to hold mail (I recommend a vertical mail organizer vs. a tray—it takes less space and is much harder to pile things on top of it! 

Your routine could be processing the organizer every Sunday. 

Your habit might be picking up the mail each day after work, opening it right away, recycling junk mail, envelopes, and any unnecessary pieces, and dropping the important mail into the vertical organizer for later processing. 

Systems do not have to be perfect. They are supposed to make your life easier, facilitate a smooth flow, and support you in some way—help you remember all your appointments, take your vitamins or medications every day, get ready to dress quickly, etc.  

Start small. Stay curious. And ask yourself: "What part of my life do I want to feel easier?" 

Then, create a system that makes it easier—not more complicated. Add a routine to keep it alive, and build one tiny habit at a time to make it feel natural. 

That's where real, lasting change begins—not in fancy labels or new containers, but in the way we support our everyday lives.