9 Organizing Ideas That Are Pure Genius
If you’re itching to get things in order + tidy up your home, you’ve come to the right place. I can literally talk until I’m blue in the face about endless organizing ideas. Of course, we’ve covered in previous posts:
the decluttering hack that forever changed the way I organize e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g
how to get rid of clutter that’s laying around your house + how to do so responsibly,
6 different ways to organize your home,
And even an all-inclusive guide to a clutter-free home.
Because sometimes all we need is a little pick me up task or an easy activity that gets your forward momentum rolling :) So without further ado, here are our top organizing ideas to help grease the wheels + get you inspired to declutter your home.
CLEAR YOUR COFFEE TABLE
Keeping the living room organized can be difficult but everything will feel more cohesive + pulled together when you clear the mess from your coffee table. Pay attention + if you notice things like books, magazines, remotes etc. piling up try adding a decorative tray to corral items.
Then to help finish it off place a bit of greenery on it to help liven things up a bit. Oh...and always fluff your pillows :)
MAKE YOUR BED
Pretty basic, eh? I agree. The reality is though, if you’re struggling to figure out why your home doesn’t feel organized, take a peek in the bedroom. Out of curiosity, did you make your bed today?
According to neuroscience, when we do little things, like making the bed, these quick wins actually cause our bodies to produce a surge of dopamine –– a feel good chemical that makes us more alert + motivates us to keep going!
In other words, you have an internal cheerleader that’s literally begging for more by simply encouraging you to organize another area (idk maybe your nightstands?) Until suddenly, this forward momentum creates what I like to call a “compounding effect” + has you tidying up other areas of your home while reaping the benefits of an organized home.
Still not convinced... listen to US Navy Admiral William H. McRaven speech about making your bed.
ORGANIZE YOUR CLOTHES CLOSET
When it comes to your clothes, there are a lot of different ways you can organize your closet but lean in a little closer because we have one organizing idea in particular that we absolutely love + have been dying to share with you.
Start first, by categorizing all of your clothes in terms of ‘like items’ (sweaters, pants, blouses, dresses, etc). And if you want to get even more granular –– you can separate them according to the seasons because most people aren’t wearing big cozy sweaters in mid-July or lightweight blouses in December so this step typically comes fairly easy.
Now, with all of your clothes separated by ‘like items’ you can organize + hang them in your bedroom closet by ‘like color’ which makes it ridiculously easy for you to not only keep things organized but the whole getting dressed things gets easier too :)
ESTABLISH A DONATION AREA
Part of what makes decluttering + getting organized extremely rewarding is the fact that you can make a significant impact in someone else’s life by giving items you no longer want, need or use. Not to mention, donations are tax deductible.
Regardless if we’re working with clients in person, or online during a virtual organizing session, One of the first things we do is create a place for this pile of these donations to love.
In our home, John + I have created a ‘give away’ area near our garage door since anything in this pile will eventually need to be loaded into the back of our car.
By creating an exit strategy, we’re naturally encouraged to declutter our homes in real time. Because now, as we recognize items we no longer use we know exactly where to put things. Not to mention, because it’s close to the door to the garage we see it each time we leave our home so nothing ever builds up.
ORGANIZE YOUR LINEN CLOSET
The linen closet isn’t the most glammed space in your home — we get it. That said, it is however, where we keep most of our cozy linens.
From towels to fitted bed sheets, the linen closet generally has zero rhyme or reason to it.
And considering we tend to only use about 20% of the things we put in this black whole area of our home (harsh reality, I know) it’s important to keep your most used items at eye level where they can easily be reached.
In working with our clients, after we have organized a linen closet, we always encourage them to do a quick refresh if they find themselves bringing home anything new (bedding, towels, etc) This way, instead of letting things get out of control, it’s much easier to quickly run through the closet again + make any minor adjustments as need.
Plus organizing maintenance + donating any unwanted linens really prevents overcrowding your linen closet with barely used stuff. #PayItForward
DECLUTTER YOUR OFFICE OR WORKSPACE
Working from home is more common than ever + having a space/room/desk that feels inspiring to work at is paramount for productivity + efficiency. While we want to equip this space with everything you need, we don’t want to overwhelm or crowd your desk with office supplies + office decor.
Balancing interior design with professional organizing isn’t always easy which is why, in every space we prioritize function over aesthetics. This isn’t to say we don’t want to make your home office look out of this world amazing — of course we do — but the fewer distractions between the door + you sit down to get work done, the better.
Decluttering + organizing your office is all about considering what you need + making those things easily accessible while discretely organizing the rest.
CREATE A HOME MANAGEMENT BINDER
Sometimes decluttering + organizing your home isn’t enough to keep things working well IRL. Which is why, if you’re in need of a more sustainable approach long term, consider a room-by-room lookbook to help you maintain an organized home.
A home management binder helps identify organizing goals (check out our Organizing Roadmap) + outlines recurring all of your daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly or even annual organizing tasks!
As you know we’re all about maximizing space + creating efficiency; however, we’re equally passionate about going paperless –– not because it’s trendy but because it works! It’s also why we recommend making your home management binder digital. This way you can access it from your computer, tablet or phone no matter where you are.
ORGANIZE YOUR REFRIGERATOR
Does anyone actually enjoy removing everything from the refrigerator + cleaning it out? I sure don’t. That said, I’ve come up with a strategy that makes organizing your refrigerator bearable.
To ensure that John + I keep our fridge organization on point, we calendar time on a recurring basis to either: clean it out, update our shopping list or look for foods that are going to expire, this way we can gobble them up asap.
I know, it doesn’t sound like much but I promise this repetitive looksie has saved us from an overpacked refrigerator + wasting food. It also helps because we aren’t standing in the grocery store wondering if we should by “more (insert item)” only to get home + realize that we already had two #wompwomp.
ORGANIZE YOUR PANTRY
One of the biggest challenges our clients face when it comes to pantry organization is they tidy, declutter + organize the heck out of it but they tend to overlook how they’ll maintain it. More importantly, how those who didn’t help organize everything will know where stuff is supposed to love when putting things back *yikes!*
Realizing this is a common challenge in m-a-n-y busy households, we recommend organizing shelves using tiered storage systems for pantry items in addition to stacking like items front to back.
By pulling the older items to the front + placing the newer backup items behind it you can quickly see what you have, take inventory of what you need, know which box of cereal to eat through first.
This easy to follow methodology is so simple that anyone (even your kids) can use it!
So there you have it...
These are some of our most popular go-to organizing ideas for you to use + crush things on your own. That will pick you up, brush you off + help motivate or inspire you to keep decluttering + organizing :)
If you’re still having trouble getting going + you want our help book your FREE clarity call to get started.
Realizing everyone is at different places in life, no matter where you’re digging into your clutter first –– remember that nothing unattainable when it comes to creating a clutter-free home. And that with every bit of physical clutter you remove you’re making room for more love, more laughter + a more clutter-free life.
Because, you absolutely can boo!
— Sherri