This client had a very specific goal...having nonperishable items ready to "grab and go" whether he needed to travel overnight or for an extended period of time. 

 

He practiced a very clean, healthy diet and had always found it very hard to maintain that routine when away from home. 

 

Therefore, he never liked to rely on take out and delivery on the road nor did he want to have to buy anything once he got to his destination for basic things like spices and grains to prepare meals in his hotel room or Airbnb.

 

In the past, that was always what he did and brought the unused stuff home.

 

But he never had a system for putting the unused "stuff" away once he got home until his next trip. It became a wash, rinse, repeat scenario and a lot of time and money was being wasted.

 

The solution?...or at least in our opinion...reusable plastic containers like the Ziploc ones sold in practically every grocery store, Target and Walmart. They may not be very attractive, but they are very practical for this client's needs. And, of course, they are inexpensive, lightweight and easy to replace at any time, anywhere.

 

With the goal achieved, we left him able to just literally grab whatever containers he wants and put them in any kind of tote or bag if traveling by car. If, however, he is traveling by plane, he may need to transfer the amount of any given item to a reusable food storage bag to save space in his suitcase. We would recommend, though, putting all of the individual bags inside a larger bag to keep them contained and prevent possible spillage.

 

Biggest takeaways?

 

• Getting everything out of their original packaging, into containers and properly labeled was time consuming, but once it was done, maintaining the system should be very easy moving forward.

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• Being consistent and always following the same process for packing and unpacking for a trip, whether for business or pleasure, will always ensure you will have what you need, when you need it and where you need it.

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• This was not a particularly difficult job, but at the end of the day knowing we had achieved this client's one goal was still a significant transformation we felt was worth sharing and hopefully inspire anyone with a similar organizing issue.