6 Steps to Organize ANY Space

*Disclosure: The amazon links included in this post are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.

So you’re on board with the benefits of an organized space and are ready to get after it? Fantastic! Now you’re ready for a down and dirty step-by-step guide for HOW to organize your space. Here’s the secret. Ready….? It doesn’t matter whether you’re organizing a closet, garage, pantry or any other space, the method for how to organize is the SAME.

1. Take EVERYTHING out.

I mean everything. So many aha moments come from seeing ALL.THE.THINGS. out in one place. Together. In all their piled glory. This is when you realize you have 4 nearly identical grey sweaters or discover that the pair of gloves you thought was lost was just hidden in the back of a drawer.

2. GROUP into like categories.

Look for similarities between your items. Your clothing categories could include sweaters, loungewear, dresses, jackets, summer tops, etc. Keep the categories broad. Tip*: Move fairly quickly through this step. Your focus in this step is grouping. It is not yet on deciding what stays and what goes.

3. SORT.

Find 5 boxes or bags and label them: 1. Keep, 2. Relocate, 3. Trash, 4. Donate, 5. Sell. The relocate box will contain items you want to keep but that should really live in another area of the home. Go through each item, one by one, and put it in one of the 5 boxes. The keep box should contain only items that fit within the space that you are decluttering. Now pat yourself on the back for just completing the hardest part of the whole process! Tip*: If you start to experience decision fatigue, take a break. You can get back to it when you’re fresh.

how to organize, books lined up

4. ASSIGN a home for every item you’re keeping.

For each item that you decided to keep/relocate, you’ll now assign a specific place for it to live. One of THE biggest contributors to clutter is not having homes for things. Sometimes those homeless items have several possible places they could be, or they float around the house here and there. Find a single place where each item will live and put it away there after each use. Tip*: Make sure to bring other members of your household in on this so the responsibility of maintaining spaces can be shared.

5. CONTAINERIZE.

This is the fun part! There are a multitude of fun, functional, and beautiful containers out there. Some multi purpose options include this one at a great price point, *these lazy susan turntables (for pantries, crafts, under sink), any *iDesign acrylic organizers, and these beautiful *baskets. Or get creative with using and repurposing containers that you already have. 

how to organize, containers

6. Develop a plan to MAINTAIN.

Determine what systems should be put in place to help you maintain your newly organized space. What habits would it be helpful to employ? For example, now that everything fits nicely into your space, adopting a One-in-One-Out rule to manage the inflow of items into your home will help to keep your space in tip top shape. 

Now that you know HOW to organize, the sky is the limit! Enjoy your new clutter free environment and go live your life!