Clutter

Life is simple with less clutter. You can keep all your keepsakes if you keep them organized. You can make pretty totes, or industrial looking. Get a label maker and label drawers. If you have room keep things boxed neatly per holiday. When you take down your Halloween decorations put up your Thanksgiving decorations. Always do a good washing when swapping out holidays that will save you some muscle power when you do a deep clean. Most of us will find pine needles in our corners all year.
 

Mail and bills: Some things that need to stay around but not put in the open. I have nosey people in my life that have no problem looking through my bills if lying on the counter. Even if you don’t have an office, get a 3 drawerbin and organize incoming bills, outgoing bills, and circulars for that week you want to save.

Junk Drawer: Find take-out menus, dry cleaner tickets, stamps and other stray papers when you need them. Sort everything into categories and file in Post-itPockets, which stick on the inside of kitchen cabinet doors.

Kitchen Counters: Clear off the counters to get them as close to clutter-free as possible. Move packaged food items to the pantry, put away clean dishes, wipe counters and scrub the sink. Check out my article on organizing your pantry. 

Fridge: Remove and discard old, half-eaten leftovers; past-its-peak produce; and expired condiments. Make a list of what you need to replace and post it on the refrigerator door for the next time you shop. 

Storage Containers: Empty the cabinet and match each top to its corresponding base; recycle anything that ends up without a mate. About to toss a large container? Consider using it to hold lids.

Kitchen Drawers: Useless tools, worn-out pot holders, a pile of pencils, you'll be surprised at what's hiding there. Empty drawers and sort everything by category. Remove broken or duplicate items, and then arrange the rest with dividers and trays.

Grocery List: Save a few of your old receipts and type up a master list of what you buy often, grouping items by where they are in the store so you can breeze through shopping. Print it out and post it in the kitchen; put a check next to items as you run out. Check out my Keto Grocery List, if you’re looking to change your lifestyle. 

Makeup: Focus on bathroom cabinets and your cosmetics bag. Toss expired items and makeup mistakes, then arrange what's left in the order of your daily routine (e.g., face wash next to moisturizer)

Linen Closet: Inspect each towel, washcloth and sheet-set component for stains, tears and general wear. Set aside worn-out pieces to use as cleaning rags or give to a local animal shelter. Refold everything to a similar size for a unified look, and then put it all away

Bookshelves: Edit the selection in your personal library and set aside any extra reads for donation. Return books to the shelves ordered by height or color for a less cluttered, more cohesive look.

Arts and crafts: Plastic totes on wheels work great for this because you can roll it into a closet or a room you're no using during a party. Keeping like items in the same drawer will help when you're looking for just stickers and you're in a rush. 

Toys: Swap out your coffee table and try a lidded ottoman or a steamer trunk instead. The sturdy picks are perfect for holding blocks.

Closet: Take tried-and-true outfits and hang the items together — shirts, pants and accessories. (This is how fashion shows organize clothes.) Getting dressed just got easy! 

Clothes: Take every item out of the closet and the dresser and try it on; then place it in one of three piles — Keep, Alter or Donate. Hold onto only what's in the Keep pile, storing seasonal items, styles and colors together.

Shoes: Organizing shoes heel to toe maximizes space and gives you a quick survey of color, toe style and heel height to help speed up getting dressed

Behind the TV: Stop guessing which cord on your power strip goes with what: Save the plastic tags from loaves of supermarket bread, write the name of each device on a tag and clip it around the relevant cord.

Homework Station: Fill a clear plastic bin with pencils, scissors, rulers, etc., so your child doesn't burn through precious time hunting for supplies every day. When the assignments are done, everything gets returned to the bin and your child sets up his or her backpack for the next morning. 

Purse: Dump it out and weed through the contents, trashing wrappers, nonworking pens, receipts, etc. Pile up whatever requires immediate action, like a check to be deposited. 

Garage: There's no rule that says it has to be gross. Wire baskets and hooks keep supplies and tools off the floor and within easy reach.