You probably have a space in your home where you put the things you don’t know what to do with. We all have these orphan items that find a temporary home in a drawer, a nook, a shelf, or perhaps a whole closet or basement wall—and sometimes that space becomes a permanent home. Which is fine, except for the niggling, nagging knowledge in the back of your brain that if you don’t assign things a proper place, you won’t be able to find them when you need them.

By using The Real Simple Method to Organizing Every Room, you can give happy homes to all those orphan items, so you can spend less time hunting for that stray receipt or cord or scarf, and more time doing the things you truly enjoy.

All this is easier when you’re in the right mood. Here are a few mantras that Real Simple editors have found to help get—and stay—in the organizing frame of mind:

THOU SHALT NOT TRANSFER CLUTTER

Don’t bury the dresser top to save the coffee table.

DOUBLES ARE TROUBLE

You don’t need two can openers or five tweezers. Toss duplicates.

KEEP IT WHERE YOU USE IT

Stash toner with the printer and the T.P. under the bathroom sink.

MAKE LABELS, NOT WAR

Mark shelves, bins, and boxes so your family (and houseguests) know where everything goes.

HAVE A PLACE FOR NOTHING

Aim to create one empty cabinet, shelf, or drawer in each room. This is your backup spot when the balance tips. (And it will tip.)

PICK YOURSELF UP, DUST YOURSELF OFF, AND START ALL OVER AGAIN

Organizing is a circle, not a straight line.

We hope the Real Simple Method becomes your own method—and results in a calmer, cleaner, and more carefree home for you and your loved ones.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, REAL SIMPLE