The holiday season seems to bring an influx of everything. From the decor that gets pulled down from storage around Halloween, the food and extra hosting commitments that start around Thanksgiving, and the holiday parties and work events that spike around this time of year, it can be a lot to handle! When you really break it down, organization plays a huge role in each aspect of the holiday season. Whether it’s how to get ready for overnight guests, how to prep your pantry and fridge for upcoming events, or how to declutter your kids’ toys before a fresh round of items start arriving this holiday season, organizing is a critical piece to getting each of these tasks accomplished.

In the midst of all the Thanksgiving festivities, I wanted to share a quick note of thanks for the long list of people that I want to recognize for making 2018 one of the best years yet. This year has been full of projects that have pushed our creativity and bandwidth to the maximum, goal-setting that has me looking forward to what’s on the horizon, and opportunities to connect with fellow entrepreneurs, organizers, and mom bosses that make me dream bigger than I ever thought possible. To say I’m really excited about what’s in store for the little business that I started nearly 11 years ago is an understatement. I am grateful for taking that leap what seems like a lifetime ago since it has given me the freedom and passion in a career that I truly love.

With the holiday season among us (Thanksgiving is only one week away!), this means that our schedules are about to become a bit busier and our fridges and pantries may become a bit more crowded. Between hosting obligations and the anticipated turkey and side dish leftovers, finding space in an already crammed refrigerator may seem nearly impossible.

So, what can be done?

Before you bring another Tupperware container or bulk-size box into the fridge, let’s use today—National Clean Out Your Fridge Day!—to make some necessary improvements to this space.

When we moved into our home 2.5 years ago, my girls wanted bedroom decor that reflected their personality, which I was on board with since I wanted their bedrooms to be a place that truly felt like “them”. I remember spending hours meticulously placing colorful dots and heart decals on their walls, and working with them to find coordinating storage bins and decor.

I’m a big believer that if you want to get your kids excited about the decor and organization in their rooms (or in the house, for that matter!), it’s great to involve them in the process. With some guidelines to reference, like sizing and price points, I worked with my girls to find solutions for their rooms that they were excited about so that they would be more inclined to actually keep up with the organization. My girls know that if they wanted the decor and design of their rooms to be the main focus then they would have to work to keep their rooms organized and clutter-free, which is kind of a dream come true as a parent. And we had (and did) incorporate organizational solutions that matched their decor so getting and staying organized was easy and worked with the overall room decor.

What’s the one item that automatically makes you feel put together? Maybe it’s a piece of jewelry, a go-to hairstyle, or a bit of blush and mascara to make you feel awake and ready to take on the day (or at least look like you are awake!).

As parents we are all pulled in a million directions on a daily basis. There is stuff for the kids, stuff to do at home, stuff for work and oh yes, personal stuff as well! But with my girls in their last year at elementary school, I decided I was going to figure out something that I could do to at least hold the title of parent of the year (at least for one day) to make my girls happy along with other students (alright…the praise helped also). I set out to find something that would be creative, different and most importantly, easy for me to do as I am always short on time, like all of you.

A lot of my organizing tips are specific to an area of the home (like the kitchen, playroom, or under the sink), but there is a common area that we are all touching on an everyday basis: our email inboxes! While this area of your life doesn’t fill up with the same type of clutter that you see around your home, the impact of the disorganization in this area can be just as frustrating and difficult to navigate and honestly one of the most difficult areas to organize.

When it comes to closet organization, there are categories that easier to tackle than others. Regardless of what your storing, the first step to the closet organization process is to categorize all of your options and store them in a way that is the most function for how you live. That means keeping categories, like work blouses, towards the front of your closet, and giving priority placement to the shoes that are in your weekday rotation. While a lot of closet storage and organization is simple (i.e. requiring just a hanger or some shelving), there is a category that tends to trip people up: purses and clutches.

When you’re working on decluttering your home, it’s easy to get caught up in the moment and feel the need to get rid of everything. Yes…that happens! And while there are no real “rules” to getting organized, there are general guidelines that are helpful to keep in mind when you are deciding what should stay and what can go. If there are items or categories that you don’t use or need any longer, that’s usually an indicator that you can and should part with those items. But, there are a few categories that—despite their lack of use—should be the exception to the “rules”. Check out my recommendations below for seven things that I suggest you not throw away while decluttering (or at least take a second look and pause before you do).

True story: last week I had to take a power nap after dropping my kids off at school. The 5-minute walk home from school expended the remaining little energy that I had and I needed to fall asleep. Never in my decade of being a parent had I taken a nap “on the job”, but I could not respond to an email, get out my girls’ snacks, or deal with the mail and incoming packages at my doorstep until my body had a break. Kind of sounds pathetic, right? That kind of exhaustion is a tiny peek into what my life with Hashimoto’s disease is like.