17 Organization Hacks To Save Your Sanity

When it comes to organization, I’m a bit of a monomaniac {aka: obsessive freak}.  I function best when life is clutter-free.  However, I do have three tiny tornadoes circling me, so things are never perfect.  But I have come across a few bright ideas that have saved my sanity, and hopefully yours as well.

Living Area Problem Spots

1. Cleaning supplies

Instead of piling them under the sink where you have to rummage through everything to find the one item you need, use a shoe organizer to store cleaning supplies where they are easily seen and quick to grab.

2. Junk drawer simple solution

Everyone has one–the junk drawer is inevitable.  Cut off the bottoms of empty cracker and cereal boxes to make simple organization containers for pens, paperclips, and…junk!

Before

After

3. Spice cupboard

I hate being in the middle of sautéing when I can’t find the cumin!  I finally got sick of searching and got organized.  Again, I cut off the bottom of cardboard cereal boxes and alphabetized my spices, using washi tape to label them.

Before

After

4. Stuff that needs to go upstairs

In my house, the bedrooms are upstairs, so I’m constantly throwing discarded shoes, toys, and books that need to be returned upstairs.  I finally got wise and got a cute little laundry basket to toss things in instead of letting them clutter the stairs and become a tripping hazard.  Whenever I go upstairs, it goes with me, is dumped, and returned for more.

5. Plastic shopping bags

Cut a hole in the top of an empty cardboard box (a shoebox would work great) and store all of your plastic shopping bags so you can conveniently grab them.

6. Sneaky extra storage

I always look for furniture with extra hidden storage.  This ottoman is great for storing blankets and my binder full of owner’s manuals.

7. The playroom

Ugh!  The bane of every mom’s existence, right?  The lifesaver in my playroom is a 3 x 3 square “cube” storage shelf with bins.  I borrowed a friend’s brilliant idea and printed off pictures of the toys that go in each bin.  That way, when it’s time to clean up, my kiddos know which toys go in which bins {and yes, I’m that OCD about it!}.

Dollar store containers make great toy bins as well!

Bedrooms

8. Messy drawers

Kids’ drawers can quickly become disaster areas.  Use dollar store plastic bins to separate socks, shoes, and underwear.

9. Tangled scarves

Until just recently, my scarves were stored in a tangled bundle up in my closet where I could never see them.  Then I had one of those “Why didn’t I think of that before?” moments.

To organize your scarves, simply tie them to a hanger!  Now they hang in my closet where I can easily see and reach them.

10. Jewelry

This homemade gift has been my saving grace when it comes to jewelry storage.  It is a simple frame backed with window screen material that you can find at hardware stores and even fabric stores.  It’s perfect for hanging earrings and necklaces (secured with pushpins to the frame).

11. Makeup and hair accessories

After “retiring” from teaching to become a mama, I had all of these great school storage bins that needed a new purpose.  Instead of school supplies, this has become my makeup and hair accessory storage and has been amazing!

The Office

12. Kids’ artwork/schoolwork

You’re not a horrible parent for not wanting to keep every single art project or school worksheet.  You can actually keep them all with ZERO space.  When my kids make something or bring something special home from school, I shoot a quick picture on my phone.  Later, I upload all of their art to the computer where I have a file of each child’s masterpieces.

13. Paperwork clutter

When it comes to paperwork, going electronic on bills and statements saves my sanity.  Anything important is saved to my computer and we invested in an external backup storage device that can backup everything on the computer in case of a crash.

14. Photos/cards

Convert shoe boxes into cheap photo boxes by wrapping them in wrapping paper.  These are great for photos, cards, or keepsakes.

The Garage

15. Travel cargo boxes

If you have a cargo box for your vehicle, the best place to store them is on the ceiling.  This way, you can drive under it and lower it onto your car when you need it.

16. Bikes, strollers, and everything else

Ever tripped over a bike or plasma car in your garage?  Yeah, me too.  You can hang basically anything up on the walls of your garage with garage wall mounts: bikes, strollers, plasma cars, scooters, brooms, shovels, etc.

My #1 rule:

17. If it won’t be missed, throw it out!

Clutter can build up over time to the point where it becomes overwhelming to deal with.  My motto is, if it won’t be missed, throw it out!  This applies to kids’ meal toys, old magazines, and your husband’s old, dried boutineer from prom.  Never even missed.

Happy organizing!