Trying to get organized around the house? Here are five steps for getting it done, no matter what room you’re in.

1. Remove everything. Whether you’re organizing kitchen cabinets, bedroom closet, bathroom or tool room start by emptying everything out. Move it all to a spot where you have room to spread out and sort.

2. Categorize. Look through everything and broadly classify by general item type, for example: Large, small, used daily, seldom used, etc.

3. Sort. At the same time, separate items further into three piles, bins or bags labeled “Keep,” “Toss” or “Donate.” Choose a status for every item and be sure follow through with the donating and tossing. 

4. Plan. Take stock of your space and the items from the “Keep” pile. Imagine the room’s traffic patterns or your workflow to figure out where things will go. Put often-used items within reach; seldom-used things can be less accessible. In the kitchen, maybe the bread maker and fancy cake stand go into the cabinets above the fridge. Put your heavy, much-used cast iron skillets in the base cabinet next to the range. Utensils and flatware, dinnerware and glasses might go in drawers and cabinets that are within reach of the dishwasher, while measuring cups and spoons, knives and mixing bowls get stored nearest your food prep area.

5. Organize. Once there’s a place for everything, get organizers to keep everything in place. Drawer dividers, under-cabinet rollout drawers and trash bins, tray dividers, lid organizers and more go a long way toward keeping things orderly. A few ideas for kitchen:

• Use hooks to hang your most-used pots on the wall near the range
• Install pullout baskets and drawers in base cabinets so pots, pans and small appliances are easy to grab, even from the back.

• Make use of vertical space in upper cabinets by using wire risers to stack plates and bowls
• Turntables and wire bins are perfect for organizing pantry staples

• Stepped racks are ideal for storing and seeing spices
• Over-the-door racks neatly hold bags or rolls of foil and plastic wrap

• Rollout waste bins keep trash and recyclables out of the way
• Store pantry staples in clear jars and bins to see what you have at a glance. Use our pretty printable labels to know what's what.

It will take some work initially, but once your rooms are well put together it will be so much easier to keep them that way. When you’re organized you spend less time looking for things, reaching for things or trying to work around the clutter. That means you’re less stressed, more productive – and you have more time for you.