Professional Organizers Share Their Top Tips for Organizing Your Space

For these Instagram influencers—and professional organizers—helping people stay organized is what they do…and post! We tapped them for tips on putting systems in place, staying on track and keeping your space clutter-free.

Meet Our Influencers

@neatmethod: Lisa Ruff, director of business development, Neat Method
@org_relo: Jennifer Gowler, senior project manager, Organization & Relocation
@horderlynyc: Jamie Hord, founder, Horderly Home Organizing
@ocdaz: Ashley Stewart, founder, O.C.D. (Organize. Create. Design.)
@practicallyperfectla: Joni Weiss and Kitt Fife, co-founders, Practically Perfect

“Start small and work your way up. Be sure to finish that area completely before digging into another project.” @horderlynyc

“I have a saying: S.O.S (Sort. Organize. Simplify.) Once you have like items grouped together, you will have a better visual of what you have.” @ocdaz

“Edit. Edit. Edit. Merely going through a drawer and pulling out unused items makes a big difference. Don’t put the damaged shoes back into your closet. Get them fixed or get rid of them.” @neatmethod

“Staying organized does require some effort. A person must have the intention of placing things back where they belong once they have been used. If not, then the systems don’t work.” @practicallyperfectla

“First step is assess the current situation—what is working and what isn’t. Those simple questions will help determine what the priorities are and where to start.” @org_relo

“Getting organized means that every belonging in that drawer lives in that specific drawer for a reason.” @practicallyperfectla

“Our goal is to make upkeep quick and easy for clients or else the organization won’t be maintained. So we base the organization on our clients’ lifestyles and abilities to maintain the space.” @neatmethod

“I encourage people to do edits every season. Do a walk-through of your spaces and see how your surroundings make you feel. It feels so good getting rid of things that you just don’t wear/need anymore.” @ocdaz

“Those areas with a system in place already will take much less time to re-align than those lacking any structure or system.” @org_relo

“One thing we notice in bathroom is that people have way too many toiletries! These little guys can really add up and create a lot of clutter. Leave hotel toiletries at the hotel!” @horderlynyc