To organize your home and bring order to it, you absolutely do not need to spend all your savings on expensive containers, sacrifice your weekends, or lose your peace of mind. We spoke with top home organization experts about how to easily, cheaply, and effortlessly turn your home into an oasis of calm.
1. Get Rid of the Excess (Decluttering)
Almost all professional home organizers agree on one thing: most of us simply own too much stuff. "No organizational trick, no matter how genius, will work if you are trying to manage too many items per square foot," says Lori Williamson, a well-known home and lifestyle expert. "When you physically own fewer things, you have less to manage, clean, store, and think about."
But emotionally and physically decluttering your space is not an easy task. It can take quite a bit of time to honestly go through all your belongings and make a decision about each one.
Start Very Small
Don't try to tackle your entire bedroom in one day. Take on just one specific drawer, one bathroom shelf, or a single toy basket. Once you feel the immediate positive impact of these small changes, you will likely be highly motivated to continue. Leave the balcony or the garage for later, when you already have a few small victories under your belt.
Don't assume you need to keep an item forever just because it was expensive or was once special. "People are often extremely reluctant to get rid of something they paid a lot of money for, even if they haven't used it in years," explains Sharon Lowenheim, a certified professional organizer. "Storing these items in a closet won't get you that money back and won't make you happier." To avoid creating unnecessary waste, sell these items or donate them to charity.
The "One In, One Out" Rule
"People catastrophically underestimate how much the physical boundaries of their space dictate how much they can actually own," says Williamson. No matter how brilliantly you organize your space, if you continue to endlessly bring in new things, it will inevitably become cluttered again.
Because Williamson lives in a small apartment, she set a strict rule for herself: "If something new comes into the house (clothes, decor, dishes), I am obligated to get rid of at least one old item from that same category."
Live in the Present Moment
When deciding what to keep and what to ruthlessly discard, be realistic about who you are and how you live today. "Every item in your home should support the life you are living now, not the life you lived five years ago, or the ideal life you only aspire to live in the future," strongly advises Lowenheim.
2. Completely Empty the Space You Are Organizing
Whether you are currently organizing a small desk drawer or a large kitchen cabinet, the first step is to pull absolutely everything out of that space. This not only helps you better plan how to rearrange the contents, but it also makes it much easier to realize how much junk has accumulated there and what you actually need. Seeing items outside of their usual context (for example, piled up on the bed) instantly breaks the emotional attachment and helps you consciously get rid of the excess.
3. Define a Clear Purpose for Each Space
It is incredibly difficult to organize a room if you yourself don't know what it's supposed to be. Experts suggest asking yourself: what feeling do you want to evoke in this space, and what is its primary purpose? Is your home office primarily a place for productive work, a zone for watching TV, or a temporary kids' playroom? Honest answers to these questions will help you make the space truly functional.
"If you haven't clearly defined a purpose for each room or corner, you run the risk of them turning into a universal dumping ground for random items," warn organization specialists.
Clear, labeled containers are the easiest way to maintain order in a kitchen pantry or bathroom cabinet.
Photo by Steven Ungermann on Unsplash
Clear, labeled containers are the easiest way to maintain order in a kitchen pantry or bathroom cabinet.
5. Labels, Labels, and More Labels
Labeling items is incredibly useful for quickly identifying the contents of closed boxes and storage bins, and it is absolutely critical if you live with other people (especially children). "Most people create a perfect storage system in their head and naively assume it is obvious to everyone in the household," notes expert Hagmeier. But without clear visual instructions and labels indicating where things belong, your system can quickly fall apart in a matter of days.
6. Do a Little Bit Every Day
Cleaning and organizing your home is not a one-time, exhausting job. It is a constant, daily habit. Exactly how you choose to incorporate it into your daily routine is entirely up to you.
Experts recommend spending just 10-15 minutes at the end of each day on light, surface-level tidying of scattered items and returning them to their rightful places. Create simple systems for yourself that you can maintain even on your busiest and most chaotic workdays.
Remember Why Organization is So Important: Maintaining order in your space is about much more than just visual aesthetics for guests. It is vital for living a calmer and more mindful life. Proper organization allows you to literally create space and time for the things and hobbies you truly love, use, and need. It is guaranteed to bring you a constant sense of lightness, control, and domestic peace.
Based on materials and expert advice from Architectural Digest.
