Feeling a little decorating overwhelmed? Here are 9 simple organizing tips to make your life easier.

Today I want to keep it real.

I have tons of ACTIONABLE tips for us and our organizing selfs.

But before I get started can I ask you a question?

Does clutter ever get you overwhelmed?

If you do, please come sit by me. I’m saving you a seat.

I’m looking at a house that is full of leftover stuff from the wedding and stacks of the CUTEST clothes and accessories from the photoshoot I did this weekend (post arriving tomorrow) and flowers that are dropping petals everywhere. There is stuff on the stairs and stuff on the table and stuff in the office.

Stuff with extra stuff on top.

So today?

I wanted to keep it simple.

Clutter is really just a decision waiting to be made and today I want to help you make it. Start simple. Start small. Start with one area (I’ve listed several in the post) and just START.

YOU CAN DO THIS.

And remember?

We are keeping it simple. I promise.

Here are 9 simple organizing tips to make your life easier.

9 Simple Organizing Ideas To Make Your Life Easier

simple organizing tips

9. how to organize the linen closet (and how to fold towels)

There are a zillion ways to fold towels.

I get it. 

This is just my favorite way because the towels look so cute lined up in the linen closet.

They are literally one step away from an overnight stay at a Holiday Inn.

Here’s how I fold them and a few tips for organizing your linen closet.

simple organizing tips

8. how to organize your bed

Almost every bed in our house has a duvet cover.

They are just so cozy.

I love everything about them until I wash them and remember why I don’t really like them that much. After you wash them they just sit there and stare at you waiting for you to put them back on. Putting on a duvet cover is actually simpler than you think.

Here’s my very best tip for putting on a duvet cover.

It made my life SO MUCH EASIER.

simple organizing tips

7. how to organize your junk drawer

See that first picture? That’s what our junk drawer used to look like until I found these drawer organizers that move around and are so flexible to accommodate everything in the drawer. I posted about these with a few simple organizing tips for drawers a while back and these organizers were my best-seller for two weeks in a row.

These drawer organizers are amazing.

I’ve tried several different iterations of this product and these are by far the best value for the money. They come in a set of 25 and there are four different sizes of containers so you have so many combinations and ways to set them up to fit any drawer. They have these little rubber feet on the bottom that completely hold them in place and prevent them from moving around and they even fit inside each other (you can see the small chalk bin and the small thumbtack bin actually fit inside the larger square bin).

With all the individual containers and compartments in the drawer, you can use something and put it right back in its own little container so it all stays neat.

You can see them here.

6. how to organize under the sink

Where do you keep your sponge?

I used to keep it on the edge of the sink. I even ordered cute sponges that matched my kitchen. The challenge is that all sponges start out cute and then it’s downhill from there.

The sponges get so icky after a while that I didn’t want them on the sink. So I’d put them under the sink and they’d get lost and glumpy and mix in with everything else. I’d be kneeling down trying to find the sponge or a cleaner or the dish soap and I’d get so frustrated.

And then I found this pull-out organizer.

I’ve used it for about nine months now and I love it just as much as the first day it was installed. It keeps everything organized under the sink because you just pull it out to use it and put everything right back where it goes.

Every time I pull it out it makes me so happy.

Truly.

You can see it here.

5. How to organize your toiletries

I’ve shown y’all this area before. It’s a closet in the hallway with the linen closet on the other side.

We had bins with random letters on them that used to mean something, but now they were kind of organized, but the bins were really too big to keep everything in place. Stuff ended up getting jumbled up inside and then I recently added some things that I had cleaned out from the bedroom when we redid it.

It was a lot.

I tried a couple of things and landed with these stackable clear organizers. Here’s why I am all about them:

  1. They are stackable. I actually just ordered another set because I have more space to stack more.
  2. They are portable. You can organize them by task. For example, I have my nail stuff in one organizer and my self-tanner stuff in another.
  3. They are clear. I LOVE that they are clear so I can see everything at a glance.
  4. They are hard plastic (BPA free) and so sturdy.
  5. They are flexible. You can adjust how you use them in the space depending on the measurements of your shelves.

The exact set I ordered is sold out now, but I just ordered this set that’s super similar.

4. how to organize glass front cabinets

Do you have open shelving or glass-front cabinets in your home?

There’s no place for clutter to hide.

If you don’t know where to start, I have the best ideas for you.

Here’s how to style and organize glass front cabinets.

simple organizing tips sweaters

3. Organize your closet

With the bedroom makeover, I added these super inexpensive closet units on the wall.

Here’s a glimpse inside to see how I organized everything with these simple organizing tips for closets. I organized the shelves inside the cabinets with these amazing sweater/top organizers.

They are kind of game-changers.

I used to hang up my sweaters, but they get so stretched out, so I was looking for a solution to add the sweaters to the shelves in an organized way. I use this sweater folder to fold the sweaters and then I organize them according to color.

I can see them all at a glance now and it made so much more space in the closet for other hanging clothes.

You can see the organizers here.

simple organizing tips refrigerator

2. how to organize your fridge

I eat so many fruits and vegetables (which are so expensive this summer) and I wanted to keep them fresh (and organized) in the fridge so they were ready at a moment’s notice. I want to bring them home from the grocery store, clean and wash them and put them into a container so I have them ready. Then there are no excuses not to eat them. I tried so many different containers and I figured out three things about myself:

  1. I really, really like harder plastic for food storage containers. I think it cleans up better and holds up better over time and I like how clear and see-through it is.
  2. I am kind of picky about my plastic. I wanted to make sure I was BPA-free plastic for food storage.
  3. I LOVE the snap and click with a container. You know. The whoosh when it seals and then the click when it clicks into place. It is SO satisfying.

These containers fit all that criteria.

I have two different sizes. These containers hold 3.2 cups.

These containers hold 4.7 cups.

simple organizing tips daily routine

1. five simple tips to destress your morning

A long time ago in a land far away I used to sleep until noon.

Until.

Until I had a job.

And children.

And dogs and cats and assorted individuals who depended on me to get out of bed and put my feet on the floor and drink loads of coffee to wipe the bleariness from my eyes and face each day earlier than I ever imagined possible.  Understandably, it took me a while to adjust.  It took me a while to figure out that the sun was my friend and chirping birds are just nature’s way of telling you the day has started and that hitting the snooze button can be a little overrated.

Here are my best tips to get started in the morning.

(total aside: I know it’s not exactly organizing—but it was too good not to share.)

simple organizing tips earring organizer

You got this friend.

Truly.

Just start small.

There are so many tiny spaces that you can start with.

Like your earrings. I just organized mine with these earring organizers. They automatically extend your earring wardrobe because you can see everything with a spin. The organizers are four-sided and have hooks to hang the earrings from. With earrings with backs, I don’t take the time to thread them through the holes. Instead, I just add them to the hooks with the space between the earring and the back.

You can see them here.

simple organizing tips baskets

I think it’s my new favorite thing

Finding solutions to organizing challenges with simple organizing tips.

Here are just a few more of my favorite things:

My mother always says, “A place for everything will keep everything in its place.”

And I never argue with my mother.

She’s always right. 🙂

disclosure: affiliate links are used in this post. If you purchase something through one of my links, I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Thistlewood.

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Comments

  1. Image for Leslie Watkins Leslie Watkins

    You hit this one right where it hurts this Monday morning…so many decisions that need to be made to remove the clutter and random boxes after our house fire remodel…thanks for the encouragement—starting small again will happen today. Happy Monday, friend!

  2. Image for Jodena Beale Jodena Beale

    I love organization...I made 2021 my year of organization. I worked on a different area all last year, but here I am in 2022 and still finding areas that need to be organized. I will conquer it all one day. The clutter will not win. Thanks for reminding me to get back to it. Love the items. Have a great day

  3. Image for Kay Kay

    Thanks for the good info, and I also clicked on your link for putting a duvet back in its cover….and I REALLY needed that helpful info! I just wanted you to know that I appreciate you and your posts!!

Comments are closed.