11 Habits of Extremely Organized People That You Can Do Too

Whether you haven’t yet gotten around to spring cleaning – it’s never too late – or you’re looking to take your Monica Geller tendencies to the next level, these organization hacks will turn your home into a haven of tidiness. Now that’s neat.

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Set Yourself Up for Success

The expression “begin as you mean to go on” doesn’t just apply to New Year’s resolutions; it’s also a handy home organization mantra. Set up your entryway with enough storage, hooks and baskets that you simply can’t help but keep things neat and tidy the moment you step into your home – then let those uncluttered vibes flow into the rest of your space.

West Elm

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Invest in Double-Duty Furniture

It is a truth universally acknowledged that no home has ever had enough storage space. Seriously, never. So how is anyone supposed to deal with clutter when there’s simply nowhere to put it? Do yourself a favour and buy some furniture specifically designed to solve this problem, like a bed with built-in drawers or a sleek storage ottoman, like this upholstered version from West Elm.

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Store Sheet Sets Inside Pillowcases

We’re not here to tell you to make your bed every morning – that’s between you and your mom, no matter how old you are – but we will offer up a suggestion to make changing the sheets as easy as possible. When you’re folding laundry, store each set of linens inside its corresponding pillowcase. That way, everything stays together in one neat package and you’ll never waste time hunting for a matching set.

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Designate a Spot for All Your Papers

If you’re anything like us, you’ve probably got important papers scattered all over your house, from the hallway to the fridge to the dining room table. It’s time to consolidate. Get yourself some colourful folders to hang on a wall or a stylish accordion file to keep in one spot – and one spot only – then make sure every form, bill or piece of mail in the house goes straight in until you’re ready to deal with it. Voila! No more paper clutter.

Be Ruthless With Your Storage Containers

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Be Ruthless With Your Storage Containers

You’re not the only one hanging onto lidless plastic storage containers, hoping in vain that the missing lids will magically find their way home, but it’s time to let go of that fantasy. Take a deep breath, toss any lidless containers, free up valuable cupboard space and treat yourself to a new storage set, if necessary. There. Doesn’t that feel better?

Create Kitchen Stations to Make Mornings Easier

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Create Kitchen Stations to Make Mornings Easier

Whether you’re a diehard coffee drinker or dedicated tea snob, there’s nothing worse than having to search high and low for the perfect-sized spoon before you’ve had your first jolt of caffeine in the morning. Make your life easier by creating highly organized kitchen stations, like a cupboard filled with espresso cups, beans and barista-worthy equipment or a designated spot on the counter for your kettle, favourite mug, teabags and sweetener of choice.

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Hang Your Pots and Pans

This one might seem obvious, yet so many of us still insist on storing our pots and pans inside dark, mysterious, hard-to-reach cupboards, where it’s possible for a lid to enter and never again see the light of day. Hanging your pots and pans keeps everything visible and accessible, opens up extra storage space and kind of makes you look like a chef. Win-win.

Bed, Bath & Beyond

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Store Trays and Cutting Boards Upright

We don’t know who needs to hear this, but you’re not legally required to store all your muffin trays, baking sheets or cutting boards in a messy heap inside that sticky drawer under the stove. It’s true! Feel free to invest in a handy storage rack, like this one from Bed Bath & Beyond and keep those babies within reach.

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Keep Pantry Items in Glass Jars

For anyone who’s ever gazed longingly at photos of hyper-organized pantry shelves on Pinterest and wondered what the secret to domestic bliss might be, we’ve got three words for you: Glass. Storage. Jars. That’s it! So easy. Put everything you possibly can (dry goods in particular) into glass storage jars and you will automatically feel 1,000 per cent more organized. Just don’t let it go to your head.

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Become a Basket Case

We’re of the opinion that one can never have too many baskets and this is especially true when it comes to bathroom storage. No space to stack towels? Put ’em in a basket on the floor. Shelves looking cluttered? Mini baskets to the rescue. See where we’re going with this? Baskets are always the answer.

Stash Small Items in Magnetic Spice Tins

The Container Store

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Stash Small Items in Magnetic Spice Tins

When it comes to small household items, think outside the box – and into a tiny tin instead. Keep magnetic spice tins in the bathroom to store things like hair elastics and cotton balls, in your home office for paperclips and thumb tacks or in a playroom for pint-sized craft supplies. You can even use them in the kitchen to store spices. Who would have guessed?