6 Big Ways to Get Better at Tidying Up If You’re Naturally Messy

While we love the pristine look of a perfectly tidied and organized home, our spaces hardly (if ever) live up to that standard.

We hate to admit it, but we can be naturally messy people, which often results in disorganized piles, distracting clutter and the occasional lost item. However, as we've learned in recent years, we can overcome our natures, using a few key tricks to keep things manageable, even if we never get them perfect. If you want to join us, keep scrolling to discover six tidy-up methods that work well for us.

Set Expectations

The first step to getting tidier is actually setting the right expectations and realizing that perfection is the enemy of progress. The second you insist on everything being completely spotless and organized to your liking, the more likely you are to give up on the whole idea. Instead, we recommend taking baby steps and understanding what your tidying goals really are.

Maybe the clutter in the room is making it hard to focus, causing a general sense of stress whenever you enter it. Perhaps you want to better understand the organization of your room so you don't lose things, or are more focused on aesthetics, whether that's for yourself or seeming like less of a slob when you invite people over. Let those things motivate you to take the right steps. From there, decide what level of cleaning-up works for you. It's all about balance, having patience with yourself and finding a happy medium between burning yourself out with constant cleaning and letting the mess itself disrupt your life.

(via Shutterstock)

 

Give Every Item a Home (and Use Baskets!)

Literally every item in your home should belong somewhere. Take some time to consider where everything goes—and the answer can't be your desk or nightstand for every miscellaneous doodad that shows up. After you do your laundry, immediately put your fresh clothes away, or if that tends to be an ordeal for you, consider the option of having two laundry baskets—one where clean clothes can live until you wear them, and one for dirty clothes to go back in the laundry. Figure out where your keys live when they're not in your hand, whether that's the same pocket of your handbag or a bowl near the door, and come up with a system for keeping track of where you keep your phone.

For the messy, baskets can also be your best friend. They're kind of junk drawers, and even though clutter can accumulate within them, they keep your surfaces otherwise tidy. Depending on their location, they can also help you keep track of these things—for example, "bedroom junk" or "school-related junk." If you tend to accidentally collect cups, cans or bottles, a basket can also be used to tote those things to the kitchen in a single trip, so you're less likely to get distracted along the way.

 

Also read about: 4 Little Things You Can Do to Get More Organized

 

Manage the Amount of Stuff You Have

Sometimes, creating a rightful place for every item you own is overwhelming simply because you have way too much stuff. Over the course of our lives, we just tend to accumulate things, and the first step to reducing clutter is managing our possessions. Start by tossing any expired cosmetics and beauty products you've been holding on to for some reason. Next, go through your clothing and decor. If you never use it and it doesn't put a smile on your face, get rid of it, whether you give it to a friend who might appreciate it more or donate it to a charity of thrift shop. Finally, before you make future purchases, think about how that thing will actually fit into your life, as well as your space. Maybe you're better off saving that money and leaving it on the shelf.

(via Shutterstock)

 

Nip Piles in the Bud

Despite our best efforts, sometimes we don't put things away where we're supposed to. Instead, they join a dreaded doom pile. In a perfect world, they wouldn't form in the first place, but since these things happen, we recommend keeping an eye on these piles and tackling them before they grow out of control and start causing you stress. This cycle can be tough to identity at first, so try making a list of areas in your space that can sometimes become problems, and give yourself a schedule to address them regularly and keep your messes in check.

 

Also read about: How to Achieve an Aesthetically Pleasing and Organized Pantry

 

Leave Every Room Neater Than You Entered It

Developing tidying habits is all about baby steps, and one of the simplest things you can do is to always leave a room neater than you entered it. When you walk through that door, do not sit down. Instead, do one little thing, whether that's putting one item where it belongs, wiping down a countertop or tossing a piece of trash. When you get up, do the same. Slowly but surely, things will start shaping up and looking precisely how you want them, until maybe you're out of cleaning to do.

(via Shutterstock)

 

Set Aside Dedicated Tidying Time

We don't always have the energy to tackle the bigger organization jobs all at once. Instead, we like to start as small as possible, dedicating just five minutes every day to getting things in ship shape. First, pick your area of focus, then set a timer for five minutes and only work on fixing that place up unless you finish and have time left. When time is up, you can enjoy the satisfaction of sticking to your goal, and you might even feel motivated to keep going. Remember, this doesn't have to be a big deal, and it's easy enough it's easy to be made into a new routine.

 

Hunting for even more tidying hacks? We've got you covered HERE.