Many of us want to be more organized, but the process can feel overwhelming. It’s hard to get started when you have stacks of papers piled up on your desk, tons of messy drawers, overcrowded cabinets and closets all vying for your attention.
Research has shown that a cluttered living space is associated with impaired focus and productivity, increased stress levels and reduced life satisfaction overall. So how do we tackle these dreaded but important organizational tasks?
Start with small, bite-sized tasks — ones that require no more than 20 minutes of your time — that will help you gain some momentum. Then watch yourself chip away at your organizational goals, bit by bit.
We asked professional organizers to share some of the small but powerful tasks they recommend and advice on how to tackle them. Read on for their suggestions.
1. File-fold shirts and pants in your dresser drawers.
Popularized by Marie Kondo, file-folding is a clothing organizational method in which you place items in a drawer so they’re upright (like files in a filing cabinet) rather than stacked on top of one another. That way you see all of your inventory, wardrobe stylist and home organizer Iris Miyasaki of By Saki told HuffPost.
“I can’t tell you how many drawers I’ve seen with stacked T-shirts and bottoms, forcing my clients to only use what is on the top of their stack,” she said.
Start by taking everything out of the drawer and then sort by silhouette — e.g., tank tops, T-shirts and long-sleeve shirts, Miyasaki suggested.
“Then fold your pieces so they are tall enough to fit in your drawer standing up like a file folder in a filing cabinet,” she said. (For more on this method, read this explainer from Kondo’s website or watch Miyasaki’s TikTok tutorial.)