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.

“I want to be organized, but…”. Have you thought or said this before? I’ve heard this so many times from my clients and I’ve responded to messages and emails that start off the same way. Getting organized sounds so far-fetched because they’ve seen the “after” photos and they can’t imagine their own home being that Pinterest-perfect. I get it! Seeing a beautiful space and perfectly placed bins and color-coded closets can feel a little intimidating, but that doesn’t mean that it’s realistic for all. The good news? That’s not what organization is all about! I believe that there is potential in every home and for every person to have the organized lifestyle that they crave, regardless of circumstance.

True story: at a recent client appointment it was physically impossible to walk into the storage room. We opened the door to the storage room, and there was a wall of items blocking our path. Sure, sometimes this is an indicator that the room is quite literally filled to the brim and at capacity, but in this case the items were stacked and placed closest to the door so that they were easier for the client to access. Once we pulled out all of the items from the room we were able to actually see the storage room for what it was: an empty room for us to add storage systems.

Last week my washer was acting up, and it wasn’t until the moment when I couldn’t do laundry that I realized just how much time I spend in my laundry room. Similar to the kitchen, it gets daily foot traffic and I find myself stretching every inch of floor and counter space to make the most of the small but mighty room. As an organizer, the laundry room is a space that is often on the lower end of our client’s priority list.  It’s one of the spaces that isn’t as visible to guests and that (oftentimes) only one or two family member’s really use on a regular basis, so it tends to get the boot when choosing which area(s) to focus on getting organized. The things is, the laundry room is one of the best (and most simple!) places to add storage.

ou may have seen over on Instagram, but during a family vacation this summer our entire basement flooded. We came home to soaked floors, damp walls, and an expensive realization that everything (furniture, dry wall, carpeting, etc.) would need to be replaced. Looking back, I still wonder if there are things that could have been done to stop the water damage from happening. You may have been in this position too—wondering about the “what ifs” although at the end of the day I would have never predicted that the rain (regardless of how substantial it was this summer) could have wreaked so much havoc on our home.

I’d like to think that I am the ultimate organizer when it comes to back to school prep, but I’ll admit that I’ve done my fair share of last minute shopping this week (what did we do before Amazon Prime?!).

With the final days of summer winding down for my girls, the bags are packed and the girls are ready to be reunited with their friends and meet their new teachers. If you’re looking for a bit of inspiration to grab any last minute supplies, find ways to spruce up your home for the new school year, or add a little organization into your daily routine, check out my full round-up of favorites (all available on Amazon!).