STYLE Savvy: 4 Simple Principles for Organizing

Lisa Hess suggests four organizing principles to help structure our organizing efforts.

Though we press our organizing skills into service on a regular basis, keeping our homes tidy and our systems humming can still feel complicated and overwhelming at times. While our specific day-to-day needs and tasks change, keeping a few simple guidelines in mind can make it easier to build routines and systems that create both consistency and adaptability so that we know what we need to do almost intuitively.

Just Start

There’s no time like the present to just dig in somewhere — anywhere — and for any amount of time. Take five minutes and clear a small pile. Take a little longer and make a dent in a big one. What project have you been putting off? How can you improve the situation in fifteen minutes or less?

Keep It Simple

When it comes to making organizing sustainable, more steps are not better. In fact, the simpler the plan, the more likely we are to stick to it and use it on a regular basis. What space in your home always seems to attract clutter? Is there a way to simplify the process of getting the items in those piles where they belong?

Keep Things Close if You Use Them Often

Putting things away is great. Putting them where they’re easily accessible is even better, especially when they’re things we use often. Which frequently used items in your home are too hard to get to (and then to put away)? Can you swap out something that’s taking up prime storage space to create a home for them closer to where they’re used?

Don’t Put It Down, Put It Away

Protect clear surfaces! Keep clutter from gathering in the first place by putting things away instead of simply putting them on the first available clear surface. What is something that’s usually sitting out instead of where it belongs? How can you make it as easy to put it away as it is to simply put it down?

As simple as these guidelines sound, they can be challenging to put into regular practice. If you find this to be the case, perhaps start with just one of them, practicing it until it becomes a habit. Alternatively, when you find yourself stymied by clutter, you can ask yourself which principle would be the most helpful in resolving the situation. While it’s true that these guidelines won’t solve every organizing dilemma, they can help you determine the next best step to take.

And sometimes a little direction is all we need to get started.

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Copyright 2026 Lisa Hess
Images: Canva