Clutter in your home creates stress, and that’s the last thing you want in the place where you spend the most time. If you're finding that organization is a challenge for you, you'll be glad to know that it's easy once you get the hang of it. Start with these smart tips:

Set Up Your Workspace
If you're working from home, using the kitchen table or another common area to do your work can cause distractions and unnecessary stress. Whenever possible, set yourself up with a designated space that's just for work and remains separate from other household activities. You might need to create a space in your bedroom or a corner of a living room. A small folding table can serve as your desk if necessary.

No matter what space you choose, make sure that you know exactly where your laptop and other supplies will go when you're done working each day. This will save you from the stress of looking for things when your workday starts. 
If you’re homeschooling, it's important to keep your children’s supplies organized. One of the best ways to do this is to give each child their own large basket where they'll keep all of their school supplies in one place. Before they wrap up for the day, make sure they put everything back in the basket and put the basket back in its designated place. 

Clean out Your Pantry
As we're trying to reduce the number of grocery store trips we need to make, many of us are turning to ingredients we already have in our pantry. Take the time to sort through your stockpile and get it organized. Ideally, you'll want to take everything out, dust it off, get rid of anything that's expired, and put it back in an organized way. This will help with meal planning and make dinner time a smoother process. 

Declutter after Dinner 
To keep your kitchen clean and organized, take a few minutes to declutter every day after dinner. This includes loading the dishwasher, putting away leftovers, clearing off the countertops, and wiping everything down. Then, take things a step further – put away the placemats, pick up things like mail and phone cords, push the chairs back in under the table, and sweep the floor. Before you leave the kitchen, make sure that all of your surfaces are completely cleared off. Taking these extra steps will help you feel so much better when you wake up in the morning.

Straighten up Before Bed
This concept flows through to the rest of your home as well. Before you go to bed, take just a moment to put away things like books, games and toys. Fold up blankets, re-arrange the throw pillows, and put the remotes back where they belong. This is a very small step, but it will go a long way towards maintaining a sense of calm inside your home. Having a clean slate each day can do wonders for your sanity. 

Inspired to do even more cleaning and organizing? Take a look at these tips:

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• Your Room-by-room Spring Organization Guide
• Easy Hacks for a Complete Garage Makeover