Me In Order is celebrating 12 years of creating order with 12 organizing tips for you! Happy Birthday to us and to our amazing team! We wanted to celebrate by offering you 12 organizing tips that you can use as you embark on your own organizing journey. Cheers!

1. One of our first organizing tips: recognize that there is a place for everything. In order to stay organized, be mindful of the items you are bringing into your home. Don’t bring it home unless you know exactly where to put it in your house.

2. After grocery shopping, throw out your expired food. You will be surprised what you come across and it can feel great cleaning up the space by eliminating old food items. Plus, seeing the space beginning to become clean will inspire you to organize your new grocery items in a way that appeals to you.

3. For a desk or office, keep only the items out that you are currently using. If you haven’t touched a file in months, maybe it’s time to file it away. Keep “action” folders or trays on your desk with only what you are currently working on. This will help clear your space and might even reduce procrastinations (since you are focusing on the most important items to complete at one given time)

4. Keep your donation bag in the trunk of your car. Leaving it in a hallway closet or garage just leads to more clutter and buildup of unused items. By keeping it in your car, you can easily drop off the bag at Good Will while you are out. You can also add to the bag as you are walking out to your car; thereby, removing the items from your home and your space.

5. Clean as you go. If you are making an enormous dinner, make sure you clean your dishes, empty the dishwasher, and wipe down the counter tops WHILE you are making your meal. It will help clean your area, prevent the buildup of dishes and you will be less likely to put off cleaning “until tomorrow.” Because let’s face it…who wants to clean after cooking and eating a huge meal? Get it done ahead of time so you can relax after your meal.

6. Clean your room before attempting to organize your closet. If you add clutter on top of more clutter, you probably won’t get anywhere. If you start in a clean area, you will be more inspired to tackle the next area.

7. If you don’t have a desk, find a filling box for your important documents. By establishing a system and organize your important paperwork in these files, you will be less likely to lose anything.

8. Take inventory of the medicines, makeup, and bathroom products that you actually use. Trust us, we know how much we hate to throw out a perfectly good product, but if it’s not working for you…don’t keep it in the house. Maybe give it to a friend who could better use it. If you don’t need it, don’t let it take up your space. This goes for food as well. If you haven’t touched that can of organic mushroom soup in a year…you probably aren’t going to try it.

9. Keep only the items that matter. Holding onto old mementos that bring back bad memories isn’t good for your livelihood and isn’t going to help you become clutter free. For example, keeping a shoe box of items your ex gave you probably would be better served at the bottom of a trash bin or at Good Will. Stop torturing yourself and toss it!

10. Keep items off the floor; especially in closets. By keeping laundry basket, luggage and shoes on the floor, you can never properly clean an area. Therefore, the buildup of dust a grime is more apparent. Move your items onto a shelf, a hanging shoe organizers, etc. That way, your closet floor will be easier to vacuum/dust.

11. Get your children involved. Have your kids participate in cleaning out their toy bin, have them help you put together a garage sale, and have them sort their clothing by style and color. You will not only instill good organizing skills in your children, but you will also get some extra hands to help you on your organizing journey.

12. Organizing only works if it works for you. You don’t have to be perfect; find a system that works for you and stick to it. Functionality is everything in the organizing world; there is no point in organizing a drawer if you don’t use it, or storing your favorite artwork in a folder in an attic. Make your home your space, keep it clean, and stick to your personal organizing system.

We are so happy that we get to be part of an amazing team doing amazing things in the communities that we serve! Thank you to all of our amazing clients, teammates and everyone that has made the last 12 years possible. We look forward to the next 12 years and we hope you enjoyed these 12 organizing tips from Me In Order to You!

Me In Order is here to guide you in any way you need to start your organizing project. If you are interested in learning more about virtual organizing and how to hire an expert organizer, check out our Ultimate Guide To Hiring An Expert Organizer , or contact us today!