5 Habits I Learned From Pro Organizers That Really Work

We love heeding advice from the pros on pretty much everything when it comes to home organizing. From top tips for minimizing clutter to advice for clearing out an overstuffed closet, professional organizers know best.

On a personal level, I also know just how easy it is to adopt a new organizing hack only to promptly forget it a few weeks later. I think it’s because what works for tackling a major clear-out isn’t a great way to manage day-to-day home maintenance.

So, in an effort to figure out what methods are best for daily use, I still turned to the pros—but this time, I asked a few very specific questions.

Lucky for me, they came back with some excellent tips that are so easy to execute, I now use them every day…and I know I’ll continue to use them moving forward.

Start Your Day Right

I firmly believe my day starts the night before. But, on days when my nighttime routine goes out the window, I sometimes wake up feeling like I already failed.

It’s not the best way to start the day, but there’s an easy fix. Kenzie Harkey, founder and CEO of Simply Dare, suggests kicking off each day with the same morning routine for a similar effect.

Best of all, this can either be paired with evening prep or act as a fail-safe if the night before went awry.

“I start every day by quickly running through my schedule. An organized mind is essential for an organized life,” Harkey says. 

Harkey says this keeps her from scrambling around, leaving a mess in her wake, and adopting this approach for just one week has had the same effect on me. I wake up at the same time, I move in the same order, and everything seems just a little more seamless.

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Designate a “Command Center”

Whether it’s in your entryway, your kitchen, or your home office, Harkey told me she strongly suggests designating one area of your home as an official “command center.”

Wherever you choose, this should be somewhere easy to convene with your family as needed. This is where you tackle all your life admin: sort and store the mail, update your calendar, make lists, and plan trips.

I immediately loved this tip because I have the bones of a command center already in place in my kitchen. I just never thought to use it like this. After a few tweaks, our kitchen pinboard is now a place for the whole family to keep on top of schedules, plans, and meal prep.

Keep Your Necessities Easy to Access

Another top tip from Harkey? Keep your must-haves easily on hand. This tip is in line with how I already function, but Harkey highlighted another aspect that makes it a must.

“When I’m getting ready, all of my makeup and skincare are easy to access in the top drawer of my bathroom,” she says. 

Re-framing this for me has been the best reminder to put things back as soon as I finish my daily skincare routine. Along with making things easier to take out and use, it also makes them easy to clear away when you’re finished.

“I habitually put everything back in its place so my countertop is clear,” Harkey says. 

Invest in Acrylic Organizers

In the past, a major reason I’ve lost sight of my personal organizational goals is that our systems weren’t really setting our family up to win. That’s why lifestyle TikToker Kristi Howard says she loves acrylic organizers—and I most definitely agree.

“They make everything look better which puts my brain at peace and helps me see exactly what I need,” says Howard.

Best of all, they’re completely versatile, making any space you use daily more manageable. I’ve learned this firsthand in my bathroom for all of my skincare and beauty supplies, as well as in our pantry and fridge where I rely heavily on acrylic organizers to keep things in order and accessible.

Handle One Problem Area Per Day

This might be one of my favorite decluttering hacks, and I use it whenever I need a mini break from my computer screen. Whether you sense your home is creeping into disarray or it’s already a bonafide mess, Harkey suggests tackling one problem zone a day.

For me, this usually means a quick sweep of our entryway or a five-minute declutter of our kitchen counters. But along with this, Harkey also likes to designate one day a week as her official reset day.

While TikTok might have you convinced it must be Sunday—and this is the day that works best for my family—Harkey says people should pick what works for them.

“This will help you focus on other home organizing needs for the remainder of the week,” she says.