Organization is not only a hot trend (Netflix’s The Home Edit, anyone?), it’s also a proven way to help you feel more in control of your life in general. Yep! Keep things in their place and your stress and anxiety can be lower.

How can you attain an organized house? Some things are an every day small item to make a habit out of doing. Some jobs take half a day. Some bigger tasks—a garage cleanout for example—can take a weekend or more.

When we work with organizational clients, the first thing we do is have a conversation about what works and what doesn’t work in the household. Often, it’s children’s toys, paper/bill pile ups, closets that are out of control, and general clutter. Next, we tackle the area that bothers the homeowner the most. For many, it’s closets. For others, it’s every room in the house.

1. Implement a system that works for YOU!

Just because Mary down the street has wicker containers and chalkboard labels on everything, or Suzie next door has all of her cereal in clear containers does not mean that’s the system that’s best for you and your family. The system that works for your daily life is the system for you.

2. Start with one new habit that helps you feel like you are keeping things organized.

For instance, do you receive great coupons, but then when you’re at the store, you can’t find them? Put all coupons in an envelope in your glove box. Better yet, request digital coupons from your favorite stores and store them in your phone. Does mail tend to pile up? Have a recycling bin by the door and make it a habit to open mail, recycle junk and envelopes, and have a file handy for paperwork that needs attention.

3. Take it room by room.

Make three piles or boxes in each room of items that don’t belong: throw away, charity, move to another area. Then, go through the room and toss items that don’t belong in that room into a bin. Disperse these items and, when you’re ready, start on the next room. Easier said than done, right? Go at a speed that works for you. Just be sure to get the charity and trash boxes out the door quickly. No second guesses once you’ve decided to part with an item!

4. Closets: take everything out.

Yes, even if it’s a huge walk-in closet. All closets start with everything out. Give the closet a good cleaning, so it feels fresh to you. Choose which items will return to closet. Using the same hangers for all items can help the closet look organized, too. If you haven’t worn it or used it in a year, you should probably say good-bye to it. A lot of people say, “I paid so much money for that.!” Yes, and you spent that money. There’s no getting that money back now (unless you sell it, but can take time) and it’s probably costing you money and space to keep it.

5. Baskets and bins: Don’t rush out and buy more stuff.

Often, people have plenty of bins, containers, and baskets. Storage bins are great, but not everything needs to be contained. Often, things need to be moved out the door. Bring in those containers, if you like them, only after you pare a room/closet.

6. Tackle the one thing that bothers you the most.

Get a system in place, and work on that first. Got kids? Are they bringing home gorgeous artwork and 100% papers that deserve a spot on the fridge? Great! Put them on the fridge. Our advice? Keep only one oversized envelope of papers for each school year. Yep. By the end of twelfth grade, you’ll have a small bin of envelopes. Put the lid on it and bring it out when you want to take a walk down memory lane. Also, if your child created it, it usually means more. If it’s something a teacher made and your child simply traced it or colored it in, you might want to hug it good-bye. And physically hugging things good-bye can help when it’s an emotional item.

7. If it’s really hard for you to throw things out, there are ways to say a gentler good-bye to objects that are no longer needed.

Maybe it’s a toy from your childhood and it’s been sitting in a box for years, it’s probably not the item itself that is keeping a hold on you…it’s the memory of who you were and what you remember about that toy. Hold it a minute, think of the wonderful times you had together, take a photo, and then say good-bye if it’s time. Emotional items are the hardest to deal with. If you find it hard to get rid of any items at all, even junk mail or old magazines, or spoiled food, you may need to seek help from a professional. Especially if your desire to keep items around you blocks access to exits, draws pests, or is a danger to you. There are great professional who help people who want to keep everything they own, and there are great professional organizers who can work in conjunction with these professionals to help you feel safe, organized, and in control of your surroundings.

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