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Overcurated home organization content has flourished on social media for the past decade: well-lit photos of pantries, closets and bathrooms with contents arranged in clear acrylic bins. Usually, everything is color coordinated.
I love a tidy, organized space, but these images stress me out. My mouth gets dry when I imagine the upkeep necessary to keep those spaces looking pristine. How much does it cost to acquire hundreds of identical storage bins? How long did it take to aesthetically arrange Khloé Kardashian’s cookies like that? Is this really what I’m supposed to be doing with my one wild and precious life?
Fortunately, experts say, organizing your home doesn’t require spending all your retirement savings or time. In fact, says Eryn Donaldson, founder and CEO of the luxury home organization the Model Home, it is a common misconception that buying lots of containers automatically makes you organized. “Good products help, but they’re not the starting point,” she says. “Good organization is less about aesthetics, and more about reducing friction in daily life.”
We talked to experts about how to organize your home easily, cheaply and without losing your mind.
First, declutter
Almost all home organizers agree that most of us have too much stuff.
“No organizing trick will work if you’re working with too much,” says Lori Williamson, a home and lifestyle expert. “When you own less, there’s less to manage, clean, store and think about.”
But decluttering is no small task, says Christina Bond, owner of the professional organizing company Creating Space DC. “It can take a little time to go through things and make decluttering decisions,” she says, adding that it generally won’t happen unless you make it a priority and schedule it.
Start small: Tackle one drawer, one shelf or one basket, says Marissa Hagmeyer, co-founder of the Neat Method. Once you feel the impact these small changes can have, you’ll likely be motivated to keep going. “Save the garage for after you have a few wins under your belt,” she suggests.
Don’t feel like you have to keep an item because it was expensive or special. “People are often reluctant to get rid of something they paid a lot of money for, even if they are not using it,” says Sharon Lowenheim, a certified professional organizer. “Holding on to it will not get you that money back, nor will it make you happier you spent so much on something you don’t use.”
To avoid generating unnecessary waste, donate the items you don’t need any more.
One thing in, one thing out:“People underestimate how much their space determines what they can own,” says Williamson. No matter how well you arrange your space, if you continue to endlessly accumulate, things will get messy.
Because she lives in an 800 sq ft condo, Williamson instituted a rule for herself: “If something new comes into the home, I’m prepared to get rid of a couple of things,” she says.
Live in the now: When deciding what to keep and what to discard, be realistic about who you are and how you live right now.
“Every item should support the life you live now, not the life you used to live or you aspire to live in the future,” says Lowenheim.
Empty the space you’re organizing
Whether you’re organizing a drawer or a closet, pull everything out of the space first, says Marlena Masitto, founder and owner of Philly Neat Freaks. Not only does this help you better rearrange the contents, it makes it easier to figure out what you actually need. “Seeing items outside of their usual context resets the emotional attachment and helps you declutter intentionally instead of just shifting things around,” Masitto says.
Define every space
Arranging a room is difficult if you don’t know what you want it to be.
Bond suggests asking yourself how you want a space to feel, and what you want its purpose to be. Is the den primarily a place to watch TV or a kid’s playroom? Is the dining room a place to eat or a makeshift office? Answering these questions will help you make the space what you need it to be.
“If you haven’t defined a purpose for each room, you risk ending up with a dumping ground,” Bond says.
Every item should have a home
If you don’t know where exactly something belongs, it’s likely to end up as clutter, says Williamson.
When you know where everything goes, tidying is a breeze. “If you can reset every space in your home in 15 minutes or less, I believe you are organized,” says Masitto. If it takes longer than that, she says there’s a bigger issue. You may need to organize things differently, or do more decluttering.
Labels, labels, labels
Labelling items is useful for quickly identifying storage containers, and can be especially important when you live with others. “Most people create a system and assume it’s obvious to everyone in the household,” says Hagmeyer. But without clear instructions for where things go, the system can quickly unravel.
“It sounds almost too simple, but when everything has a clearly defined place and it’s labelled, people stop guessing where things go,” says Donaldson.
Do a little every day
Tidying your home is not a one-time job.
“Organizing is an ongoing task,” says Williamson.
How you choose to incorporate this in your routine is up to you, and what works best for one person may not work for another. Bond recommends spending 10 minutes at the end of every day tidying up, but shorter stints might be more convenient for some.
However you choose to organize your home, make it feel easy and doable. “Create systems that you can maintain on your busiest, most chaotic day,” says Donaldson.
Remember why organization matters
Keeping your spaces put together is about more than aesthetics, says Britnee Tanner, a professional home organizer. “It’s essential to living more intentionally,” she says. “Organization allows you to literally create space for the things you love, use and need and it will make you feel lighter.”
