Organizational Conundrums

This month, we feature a story on instrument containment, transport, and storage and it got me thinking about … stuff.

On a personal level, I have accumulated a lot of things over the years. That box of fashion scarves (any millennials reading this?) in my closet? Totally need those. My trumpet from my days in the band when I was in school that I haven’t played in 15+ years? Better not throw that out. Several pairs of winter boots and moccasins lined in fur while I live in south Florida? What if it gets below 40 degrees?! I might need those!

Not to mention, my husband and I have a 7-year-old dog, a Shiba Inu, who has an excessive number of toys. Well, we certainly need to keep this old toy shaped like a piece of broccoli from when he was a puppy!

I’ll admit, things tend to get a bit disorganized around the Wider house from time to time. We’re currently renting and looking for a permanent place to call home but, in the meantime, my excessive craft supplies and my husband’s bass guitars and accompanying accoutrements are getting piled up in the guest bedroom closet with minimal organization.

Clearly, hospitals and health systems cannot be as disorganized as I am (although, as you can see, my problems come from having too many unnecessary items). Particularly when transporting contaminated items. The story is on page 14 and it is very clear that having good containment, transport, and storage solutions is essential.

One part particularly stuck out to me in the article: “The central processing department team at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia had been struggling with a double wire rack system in its instrument storage space. The racks were challenging for staff members to move and necessitated stacking of sets. The system was on tracks, preventing the team from customizing the racks to meet their needs.”

Certainly, our audience can relate to being frustrated with trying to get a job done and having to work with something that, frankly, just isn’t working. (I’m imagining my cabinet of Tupperware right now; why is it always a challenge to find a lid?!) So, be sure to read the article this month to get your own organizational inspiration! And, of course, feel free to send any storage and containment stories my way at [email protected].