Many years ago, my children introduced me to a quirky organizer, the hermit crab.
One day they decided to get two hermit crabs.
After dutifully doing the research, they set up the tank. The sand was spread with care. Twigs and rocks were placed in the tank. Extra shells of various sizes were brought in just in case their new hermit crabs wanted to move into a larger model. Sponges lightly drenched in water were added to increase the humidity. Food and water were placed in bowls.
Everything looked beautiful and in its place.
And then they brought the hermit crabs home.
The next morning they went to check. The twig was in the water dish. The sponge was moved to a different location. The shells were pushed to another area. During the night the hermit crabs had rearranged whatever they could move!
That’s when I became interested in these new creatures and their quirky organizing habits.
One doesn’t like to take it too personally, but what exactly is the appropriate twig layout for a hermit crab?
After observing them more carefully, I came to a few conclusions.
First, we had two hermit crabs and they were both establishing their pathways and moving things accordingly. The problem came when one would move an item into the other one’s pathway.
Second, they had a certain amount of items in their tank and those items did not always have a place to be except maybe in the other one’s way.
This is just like us when we try to organize.
We all live within a confined space however large or small it is and we can only get so much into that confined space.
Also, we all have pathways that we take throughout the day through our house and if something is in our way we move it and put it somewhere else, not aware that it may now be in the way for someone else.
An object may spend the whole day being moved around much like the twigs in the hermit crabs’ tank.
For example, I come home from work and put the mail on the counter in the kitchen.
My husband comes home from shopping and wants to put the groceries on the counter and moves the mail to the kitchen table to do so.
My son comes in and wants to do his homework at the table and moves the stack of mail to the chair.
My daughter comes in to do an art project and moves the mail to another chair.
I look for the mail later and can’t find it. When I do, I think I might be losing my mind because I could swear I left it on the counter!
So what do we do about it?
- Realize that you have limited space and only so much can comfortably fit into that space.
- Be aware of the other people who share your space and their pathways.
- Have a place for everything and when it needs to be there.
- Be kind to each other.
The hermit crabs finally settled down. After a few weeks they had established their pathways and moved the furniture less and less.
Even today whenever I move into a new space and there are other people involved, I remember what I learned from the quirky organizing habit of the hermit crab.