Figuring out how to tackle cleaning, tidying and organizing your home isn’t always easy. In fact, it’s hard. But it should be simple, or rather SIMPLE. If you want a simple, rigid method to tidying up, then the SIMPLE method might be for you.
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I learned this from Real Simple, where pro organizer Kathy Jenkins laid out her simple steps for decluttering a space. The goal of following SIMPLE is to act quickly and decisively rather than spending too much time overthinking the task at hand. There are six steps that make up the acronym:
Decide what you want to keep
There are some similarities here to other methods, notably the Organizational Triangle, which calls for putting items together with similar items and making sure they all have a designated place; and the Peter Walsh method, which calls for creating piles for what you want to keep and what you want to throw away. While many other methods, like Core 4, also require you to put your belongings 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 don’t have a system for managing them, so even basic labels, like these customizable chalkboard-style labels, are helpful—especially if you’re not a naturally organized person. That leads to the second reason SIMPLE is new and useful, 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 continue to get organized, you risk accumulating more clutter and eventually having to clean everything all over again. By creating a routine, such as quickly running through the first five steps each month, you'll continue to clear clutter and keep your home organized until it becomes second nature.
