37 Expert Professional Organisers Share Their Favourite Tip

by Chelsea Smith

I am often asked for that ONE hot tip that will help YOU get organised… Though if I am honest, there’s no one tip to quickly fix all the organising issues that we experience on a regular basis. Being organised is hard work, it’s about constant up keep and continual mindfulness. What works for some individuals or families won't necessarily work for another.

This is why I have been working with 37 of the most successful Professional Organisers worldwide, from Marie Kondo based in Japan, to our very own Peter Walsh here in Australia, to bring to you their invaluable advice.

I hope you thoroughly enjoy their wisdom and become inspired to not only get organised, but take charge and stay organised!

TIP #1

Take everything out! It seems dramatic, but it really is the only way to go through each individual item that you have, making sure you are keeping things that are really important, and letting go of items that are not - Cathleen Simmons

Assembly, Los Angeles | www.assembly.la

TIP #2

Setting, and sticking to, boundaries around the volume of possessions I have. Having rules to live by that ensure I never end up with more stuff than I can easily control - Rebecca Mezzino

Clear Space, Adelaide | www.clearspace.net.au

TIP #3

When trying to de-clutter your space sometimes we can bite off more than we can chew and are only left with disappointment as to the amount that was accomplished. Schedule small chunks of time in your calendar to de-clutter and make sure to have a very specific goal as to which area you will be tackling - Pamela Morrone

Creating Clarity, Los Angeles | www.creating-clarity.com

TIP #4

Getting organized requires sorting, purging, homes for everything and habits of using them. Staying organized requires mindfulness - Ashley Moon Stanfield

Creatively Neat, Los Angeles | www.creativelyneat.com

TIP #5

Decluttering and organizing is the mind’s work. During the sorting part, move slowly through the process so as to let insight guide you. Turn off all noises and conversations; let silence fill the space. Even your favorite music can be distracting and derail your focus. Be present with your belongings—and the attendant memories - Yvette Bowlin

Declutter Code, San Diego | www.decluttercode.com

TIP #6

Remind yourself of what is important to you and what your best life possible looks and feels like. Then ask if what you are holding onto supports or prevents you achieving this - Danielle Atkins

Declutter Life, Sydney | http://www.declutterlife.com.au/top-tip-for-living-clutter-free/

TIP #7

If it takes less than a minute to do something, just do it now - Sarah Michul

Declutter With Sarah, Kentucky | www.declutterwithsarah.com

TIP #8

Convert paper documents and bills into digital files and online statements - LeiLani

Design And Order, Los Angeles | www.designandorder.company

TIP #9

Clutter is often the result of postponed decisions so learn to make decisions on the spot. Don’t put back in your cabinets something you know you don’t need, that you won’t be using again or that you don’t love anymore e.g. that dress that for action. Things you can give away or sell. When the box or bag is full, take doesn’t make you feel good, that toy that is broken or that your child has outgrown etc. Throw right away what is not in a good condition and can’t be fixed and have a box or bag in a closet action - Nathalie Ricaud

Get Organised and Beyond, Singapore | www.getorganisedandbeyond.com

TIP #10

Live life with less: It will make you feel lighter, happier and more creative - Anna Roberts

Get Sorted, Abergavenny, South Wales | www.getsorted-uk.com

TIP #11

Make a “world” for your favorite things. Whether it’s coffee, yoga, tea, champagne or perfume. Whatever you enjoy most; have everything relating to it together in one place. For example: if you’re a frequent yogi, have your yoga clothes in the same cabinet as your water bottle, towels, mat, blocks, essential oils and anything else you use before or during class. It’s way more fun and functional - Morgan Ovens

Haven Home, Los Angeles | www.havenhome.la

TIP #12

Everything in your home needs a place, it's the easiest way to keep your home neat and tidy. My trick is to keep likes with likes. For example, all your dishes in one cuboard, all your cups in another - Kate Millard

Kate and Tidy, Toronto | https://www.instagram.com/kateandtidy/

TIP #13

The KonMari Method. Through this once in a life time event of tidying thoroughly, completely, in one go, please experience the magic that will change your whole life - Marie Kondo

KonMari, Japan | konmari.com

TIP #14

My number one tip is to start small and start easy. Find a drawer, a pile, a little stack of items and start decluttering there. Once you’ve had a victory under your belt and seen how much you don’t need in your life, you’re motivated and inspired to work up to tackling bigger decluttering projects. The most important thing is to just START - Bonnie Black

Little Miss Organised, Queensland | www.littlemissorganised.com.au

TIP #15

Horizontal is hidden. Vertical is visible. While organizing, use as much vertical space as possible - Geralin Thomas

Metropolitan Organizing, Cary | www.metropolitanorganizing.com

TIP #16

Keep it minimal! The more things you have, the harder it is to keep everything organised. De-clutter and minimise as much as you can, and you will feel a weight has lifted. You'll also find you don't miss these extra items that you have been holding onto for so many years - Keirra Jade

Miss OCD, Newcastle | http://www.missocd.com.au

TIP #17

It's easy to be tempted by pretty Pinterest images and the plethora of organising materials available on the market (Hello, cute wicker baskets and mini chalkboard labels!) But, before running out and buying storage materials, ruthlessly declutter and work out what storage you actually need. If you need to buy things to store your things, ask yourself if that really is "organisation"? Remember that true organising is not about making things pretty... it's about making things work for you, to make time and space for what really matters in your life - Mel Carruthers

More Organised, Scotland | www.moreorganised.com

TIP #18

The key to getting and staying organized is to create a “home” for everything, and if you can’t create a home for Everything, it’s time to edit - Suzanne O'Donnell

My LA Organizer, Los Angeles | http://mylaorganizer.com/index.html

TIP #19

Implementing organizing products is a must. It is the only way you will maintain your newly organized space! Binning is winning - Marissa Hagmeyer

Neat Method, 18 cities across America | www.neatmethod.com

TIP #20

Perhaps more than any other organizing strategy, “full circle thinking,” is one of my essential ones. Very simply, if you open a drawer, close it. If you bring in a bag, unpack it. When you finish eating, clear the dishes. When you get undressed, put the clothes in the hamper. It’s about being mindful of what we’re doing. It’s about completing the process instead of stopping mid-stream. Completing the circle of action helps maintain the order and organization we’ve worked so hard to create - Linda Samuels

Oh So Organized, Croton on Hudson | www.ohsoorganized.com

TIP #21

Always buy storage LAST when you get organised. It's so tempting to go out and get lovely looking containers and baskets, but if you don't know what you really need to store, and where you will store it - chances are it will end up being wrong and create more clutter. Declutter, organise and THEN choose the right storage for the job and you will be better off - Chrissy Halton

Organise My House, Knutsford, Cheshire | www.organisemyhouse.com

TIP #22

Choose an area that nags you daily. By seeing the fruits of your labour from the beginning of your decluttering war you will feel more motivated to continue. You now know you’ve got this when you can see the result - Colleen Shepherd

Organise U, Auckland | www.organiseu.co.nz

TIP #23

A place for everything and everything in it place - having a home for all your "things " not only helps to keep your home or office tidy and organised but it also means that you will know where to find an item easily when you need it as everything has a home - Sheena Hind

Organised Me, Sydney | http://www.organisedme.com.au/

TIP #24

Editing is the first step to remaining organized. Always choose quality over quantity - Nialya Suarez

Organized Simplicity, Atlanta | https://www.instagram.com/organized_simplicity/

TIP #25

The most productive day starts the night before. Mornings are short lived so spend a few minutes in the evening to prepare yourself for the day ahead. Gather any materials you need and have them ready at the door. Open your closet and consider what you'll wear, hang your clothes on a pull-out valet rod. Assemble your bag or purse and toss in a healthy snack. Check out your day planner for appointments. Leave early - John Trosko

Organizing LA, Los Angeles | www.organizingla.com

TIP #26

Embrace Change - Ann Sullivan

Organizing People For Life®, New York | http://annsullivan.com

TIP #27

You only have the space you have! You need to treat the space you have with honor and respect. If you overload your space with too much stuff, treat your home as a storage unit, you can never be happy in your space. It's just like a relationship. If you don't honor and respect your partner your relationship can never be a happy one - it's exactly the same with your home - Peter Walsh

Peter Walsh Design, Australia | http://www.peterwalshdesign.com

TIP #28

Label, label, label! Be sure you use attractive labels either made with a template or a label maker. It makes your organizing more visual, easier to see, and easier to put away - Ellen R. Delap

Professional Organizer, Texas in Kingwood | www.professional-organizer.com

TIP #29

Going paperless and getting digitally organized has been the single greatest thing for bringing simplicity, organization and clarity into my life - Barbara Fuller

Simplify Days, Midway | http://simplifydays.com

TIP #30

Have a process. Decluttering your home can be overwhelming, especially if you’re working in many rooms at once and getting sidetracked. I encourage people to work room by room and my rule is ‘only handle it once’ so if you pick something up, put it where it belongs or allocate it to a sell, donate or throw away pile. If you keep going back to the same items over and over it will feel like you’re not getting anywhere - Cat Brown

Simplify Me, Melbourne | www.simplifyme.net.au

TIP #31

Getting organized doesn't require a lot of product. Take a broader look and consider how you can tweak or change the bones of your space to make it work harder for you. The very best professional organizers will tell you this is their number one too - Samantha Pregenzer

Simply Organised, San Fransisco | www.simplyorganized.me

TIP #32

My favorite organizing tip is "contain with consistency." Use matching bins, baskets, or boxes when organizing a cluttered space to conceal chaos and create cohesion. Use labels to differentiate between categories. This visual consistency system can foster serenity and create harmony in any room - Monica Leed

Simply Spaced, Los Angeles | simplyspaced.com

TIP #33

If you care enough to be devastated if your photos were lost then you should care enough to do something with them....print them, share them, get them on the wall or even just the fridge and most importantly back them up. Knowing you have so many to back up will also help you be more intentional about the number of photos you take or more importantly about the number you attempt to manage and keep. Do you really need 300 selfies of your toddlers left nostril? - Mara Morrison

The Filing Fairies, Sydney | www.thefilingfairies.com.au

TIP #34

The first step in your organising journey should be getting rid of the excess stuff in your life. All possessions should serve a purpose or bring happiness to your life - Chelsea Smith

The Organising Platform, Melbourne | www.theorganisingplatform.com

TIP #35

Resist the urge to buy any organising products until you've actually decluttered the space! You may find that you actually don't need to buy anything once the space has been organised. If you do need some supplies to organise the space further, then 'shop your home' first to see if there are any items you could repurpose as a suitable storage solution, such as boxes, baskets, jars, and containers - Jo Capicciano

The Organised You, Melbourne | www.theorganisedyou.com

TIP #36

Have a smooth morning routine by establishing a place when you return home to place your keys. Use a mount a hook near the door or use a small dish near the entrance on your dresser to place them -Janet M. Taylor

Totally Organized, LLC, Philadelphia | www.janetmtaylor.com

TIP #37

Be intentional with your time and your belongings. Use a planner, make lists and ensure the things you own are worthy of the space they take - Sarah Rodgers

Your Life Well Organized, Charlotte | www.yourlifewellorganized.com

Entrance Way

A big thank you to all our experts for providing their tips to help you get organised!

Now, I want to hold YOU accountable for that one space in your home that has been bugging you for months, if not years. Email me directly at Chelsea@theoranisingplatform.com with your organising goals to make a commitment to yourself, and also to me.

I will personally follow up each email to see how you have taken charge of your space and provide value any way I can.

Be sure to follow us over on Instagram @theorganisingplatform and Facebook The Organising Platform.

I look forward to hearing from you.