For the past month, I’ve been deep cleaning my entire room in preparation for getting married and moving out of my parent’s house. So, I’ve been super into cleaning and organizational content on the web. I know I’m growing up because the look and feel of a clean, organized space makes me excited.  But I’m ready to embrace it and give you a few tips that have been crucial throughout this process.

Tip 1: Organize with a purpose.

It’s easy to hold onto things with the mindset that you may have that one odd time when you’ll need it. However, if something has been collecting dust in your space for years, it’s probably safe to say that it will still be collecting dust for years to come. This is why it’s important to organize with a purpose. I’m cleaning because I don’t want to bring a bunch of clutter into my new living environment. You may be cleaning because it’s hard for you to find anything anymore or you’re tired of digging through things just to get to the one thing that you want. Whatever purpose you may have, use that to catapult your keep, donate and throw away piles. It also may be useful to use a mainstream method such as the Marie Kondo Method if you have a hard time setting limits for yourself. Regardless of how you go about it, starting out with a set purpose makes things a lot more streamline.

Tip 2: Use an organization system that works for you.

You can go to the store and buy a bunch of containers, but that doesn’t make you organized. What makes you organized is having a functional, practical system that you can use every day. Organizing doesn’t have to be complicated with a bunch of fancy techniques. In fact, the most manageable way of organizing that’s going to yield the best results is very simple. That brings us to my next point.

Tip 3: Maximize your space.

A simple way to organize is to maximize your space. Instead of throwing your clothes into a drawer so you have to dig under a bunch of items to find what you’re looking for, use the Marie Kondo method of folding so that everything sits upright. Likewise, don’t pile your shoes into a basket where they can easily get disheveled . Instead, use an over-the-door shoe organizer to keep your floor tidy or a shoe rack you can neatly place in the corner of the room.

Tip 4: Organize by type.

Another simple way to organize is by grouping like items. It’s a lot easier to find something if you have an overarching category that it’s a part of instead of having it scattered about.

Tip 5: Labels are your best friend.

It’s also a great idea to label those set categories once you make them so it’s super easy to find what you’re looking for.

Tip 6: Stow away items that are not in season.

Another thing I’ve started to do in the past few years is storing away items that aren’t in season. It leaves a lot more room for clothes that you are currently wearing and makes it a lot easier to find things.

These are just a few tips I thought I would share, but there’s lots more out there if you’re in the midst of organizing like me. Happy cleaning!

-Jas