Have you ever pushed your clean laundry aside so you can lay down in bed? If so, it’s time for a change. 

There are many benefits of getting organized. It can reduce stress and make you happier. Not to mention, you’re much more productive in an organized environment! So sit back and allow us to enlighten you with seven proven tips to help get you started.

1. State of Mind

Before the heavy-duty cleaning begins, it’s important to take a moment to organize your mind. This includes ridding yourself of any negative thoughts and urges to procrastinate and watch Netflix instead. Just turn up your summer rewind and invite some friends over to help.

2. Keep or Purge

The first step in the process is to declutter. To do this, designate a bin or area for the following categories—keep, donate, sell, or trash—and decide the appropriate fate for each item. Follow the golden rule of purging: don’t keep things you haven’t used in a year. The truth is that you’re probably NOT gonna need that spider-woman costume someday. And remember, it’s okay to feel a tad bit overwhelmed while doing this. As tidying expert Marie Kondo says, “It will get worse before it gets better.”

3. Give It A Home

Give every item you own a specific spot where they belong. As simple as it is, most of us don’t do this. We leave stuff out and scamper off trying to hide it when we have people over. Follow this lifehack and you will never misplace anything ever again! You will always know exactly where everything is. Besides, it is so much easier to clean when things are put away!

4. Store Based on Frequency of Use

This one goes to all my fellow short people out there. Reaching the top cabinets can be a struggle. For this reason, things you don’t use as often should go in the harder to reach spots. On the other hand, your daily-use items such as cups and plates should be at chest level. Don’t ever use that chair as a ladder again—at least not every day.

5. Cut Down to Size

Keep items of the same size together. This way your small items won’t be concealed by the bigger items. To do this, we recommend compartmentalizing. For example, use drawer organizers to keep the smaller items on one side and the larger items on the other.

6. Don’t Forget Digital

We live in an information overload era. Every time we make an online purchase, unwanted emails manage to stray into our inboxes. We keep dozens of editing apps that we don’t use. And for every Instagram post, we have hundreds of other takes because ANGLESamirite? It’s time to stop this and take control of our digital environment. Be brave and delete that persuasive essay from junior year of high school. Take the time to unsubscribe to those daily offer emails. Finally, make it a habit to go through your camera roll weekly or whichever schedule works for you personally.

7. Keep It Up

Once everything is organized, the hardest part is to keep everything organized. For this reason, we recommend purchasing the right products to ensure that everything stays exactly where you meant it to stay. And remember to let creativity guide you as you can always find alternate functions to products. Here are our top storage and organization products for this year.

The Container Store – Drawer Organizers $10.49 – $13.99
The Container Store – Makeup Storage Kit $83.18
Pfaltzgraff – Non-Skid Pantry Organizer $7.99
Amazon – Double Laundry Hamper $36.99
Amazon – Wall Hangers $22.99