Your Most Organized Life Starts Here

Organization—or the lack of it—affects every single room in the house. From the bedroom to the basement to the kitchen, if any of these spaces are overly cluttered or unorganized, it can feel like your whole life is out of balance. But the process of getting organized involves a lot more than just moving things around and stowing items out of sight. Sometimes, in order to really get organized (and stay organized), you’ll need to get to know yourself a bit better and shift some of the mindsets and habits that are holding you back. That might sound like a lot, but we promise it’ll be worth it. Below, we’re walking you through the process of getting your life in order—by giving you the right questions to ask yourself along the way, uncovering the most common hurdles that prevent homes from staying organized, and providing lots of expert insight.

Decluttering your wardrobe can be a daunting process filled with lots of emotions. These seven questions will help you sort through the physical and mental clutter with a practical and straightforward approach.

Decluttering methods are not one-size-fits-all. That’s because the way your home gets cluttered is specific to your lifestyle and personality—so the approach for dealing with that clutter should be equally personalized. Identify your clutter personality so you can find the organizing solution that works best for you.

Are you constantly tidying up only to find your home in disarray again the next day? There may be something else going on. One of these common reasons why homes don’t stay organized could be the root cause of your organizing frustrations.

Donating can be a great way to free up space in your home and keep things out of the landfill. However, donating the wrong things can just become more of an inconvenience (for both you and the place you’re donating to). So, read up on the list of items that charities really don’t want before you load up your car and make a trip to a donation center.

“Out of sight, out of mind” is a mindset that can contribute to a lot of clutter buildup, and with the basement being a lesser-used space for most of us, lots of unnecessary items end up getting stored away and forgotten down there. So, use this as your checklist for decluttering things you really don’t need and shouldn’t be keeping in the basement.

Sure, you may want to have a tidier home, but your mental habits could be holding you back from actually achieving those goals. Things like decision fatigue or holding onto certain items out of guilt can stifle your organizing process before you even get started. Learn more about the common mental habits that might secretly be keeping you from getting organized.

Good news: You’re only 15 minutes away from a tidier closet. Follow an expert-backed approach to get your closet in order with a bite-sized reset routine. Then, use their other tips for keeping your closet organized throughout the week, month, and year.

An unorganized kitchen can make it hard to feel inspired to cook at home. We asked pro chefs how to make your kitchen more efficient and fun to cook in—so you can feel like you’re on an episode of Master Chef while whipping up your weeknight dinners.