Use the 'SIMPLE' Organizational Method When You Need Help Getting Started

It’s not always easy to figure out how to tackle your cleaning, decluttering, and organizing around the house. In fact, it’s hard. But it should be simple—or SIMPLE, rather. If you want a straightforward, rigid method for tidying up, the SIMPLE method could be the one for you.

What is the SIMPLE method?

I found out about this one from Real Simple, where pro organizer Kathy Jenkins laid out her easy steps to clean up a space. The goal of following SIMPLE is to act quickly and decisively instead of spending too much time overthinking the task at hand. There are six steps that make up the acronym:

• Sort like with like

• Identify what you want to keep

• Make a home for it

• Put it in containers

• Label everything

• Establish a routine

There are some similarities here with other methods, especially the Organizational Triangle, which calls for putting items with similar items and making sure they all have a designated spot; and the Peter Walsh method, which asks you to create piles for what you’ll keep and get rid of. While plenty of other methods, like Core 4, also require you to store your possessions in designated containers, SIMPLE is unique for two reasons: First, labeling is key here. Having a bunch of storage containers isn’t helpful if you don’t know what’s in them and have no system for managing them, so even using basic labels, like these customizable chalkboard-style ones, is beneficial—especially if you’re not a naturally organized person. That leads to the second reason SIMPLE is novel and helpful, which is that the final step is to establish a routine. Decluttering is a huge first step, but it’s just that: A first step. If you don’t stick with your organizing, you run the risk of accumulating more mess and having to declutter all over again eventually. Establishing a routine—like committing to doing a quick run-through of the first five steps every month or so—helps you stay on top of the junk and keep your home in order until it becomes second nature. 

To use this method to its full potential, don’t do everything at once. Instead, pick a small section of your home to tackle each day. For instance, try the bedroom one day and the bathroom another—or chunk it up further, taking on just one closet, countertop, or shelf at a time.

Why SIMPLE works

This technique is a winner because it gives you clear-cut instructions, accounts for major challenges, and doesn’t leave much room for deliberation. Sure, you get to decide what you keep and throw, but you do so with the knowledge that you can only keep what will fit into the storage boxes you’re lining up. Some methods leave a lot of space for sentimentality or taking the process slowly, but this one is all about being decisive and taking action. If you struggle with the motivation to clean or the process of deciding what to do, give this a shot.