Dropping Everything by the Door

Your entryway can either serve as an organizational hub or a recipe for chaos. Between bookbags, purses, keys, hats, jackets, shoes, and beyond—absent-mindedly dropping these items the second you walk in the door can quickly lead to a pile of clutter.

“The more you drop, the more others drop, and soon there is a log jam of packages, shoes, backpacks and clutter right when you walk in the door,” says Tracy McCubbin, professional organizer and founder of dClutterfly. “Don’t put it down, put it away. Take the few extra seconds it takes to put something away instead of dropping it where it lands.”

Pinpoint your family’s needs and incorporate storage solutions that work for your space and lifestyle. For example, your home may benefit from a shoe organizer, coat rack, hooks, lockers, or a combination of the above.

Using Flat Surfaces as Makeshift Storage

A good rule of thumb is to use flat surfaces—like counters or bookshelves as a place for decor versus storage. And once you break this rule and stack one item, more items tend to pile up and your home starts looking a bit unkempt. Even chairs can turn into chaotic piles of stuff.

“The number of objects that your eye can see contributes to a feeling of chaos,” says Lisa Chun, professional organizer and founder of Our Home Becoming. “Start a nightly tidying routine by taking five to 10 minutes to clear off your counters and return things where they belong.”

Leaving Clean Clothes in the Hamper for Days

So you finally get around to doing your laundry, and you realize the work still isn’t done after you take the last load out of the dryer. How many times have you gotten this far only to have the laundry sit in the hamper (or a chair) for days on end? Make it to the finish line and you’ll feel better—and your home will look less cluttered.

“If clothes are sitting around in a laundry basket it makes your house look messy,” McCubbin says. “Plus, the longer they sit unfolded, the more wrinkly they will become, creating another problem later on. Fold and put laundry away as soon as it comes out of the dryer.”

Organizing for the Home You Want vs. The Home You Have

This mistake is one we often don’t even realize we’re making even though we’re operating with the best intentions. It often results in a pile-up of storage solutions or gadgets that don’t really fit our needs and ultimately end up working against us.

“Pinterest-perfect organizing systems don’t work if they don’t match your actual space, lifestyle, or habits,” says Leydi Rofman, professional organizer and founder of The Organized Leydi. “Before you buy anything, declutter first. Then assess what storage solutions you actually need based on your daily routines. Not every home needs 75 matching acrylic bins; sometimes a simple labeled drawer is all you need.”

Letting Mail Accumulate in Piles

Going a few days (or longer) without opening your mail may seem like small potatoes, but this is one habit that can lead to a clutter-tastrophe. “Piles beget piles, and clutter begets clutter. Nothing makes a house feel cluttered like piles of unopened mail everywhere,” McCubbins says. “Process your mail every day. Open mail over your shredder, and if it’s junk mail with your name on it, shred it. This tip alone will get rid of 80% of mail clutter.”

Confusing Tidying with Organizing

Tidying is about making things look neat in the moment while organizing is about setting up systems that prevent the mess in the first place. It’s the difference between tossing everything into a giant bin (or junk drawer) or taking the time to put an item back in its “home.”

“When items don’t have a designated spot, they start to pile up in whatever space is closest. And before you know it, your house looks like a storage unit,” Rofman says. “Instead of just clearing surfaces, take an extra five minutes to actually return things to their rightful spot. The goal is to make cleanup effortless, not a constant battle.”

Not Delegating (or Reinforcing) Chores

The bulk of tidying often falls on the shoulders of one person, and this responsibility can become overwhelming for a single person to manage. (This is especially true in households with kids or more than two people.)

“The volume of tasks to take care of a home and keep it looking tidy is enormous, and should be a shared responsibility for all household members,” Chun says. “Research shows that children who performed chores in early elementary school exhibited higher self-competence, prosocial behavior, and self-efficacy in later years.”

She suggests using printed checklists that clearly outline delegated chores and steps required to complete them. This is a great training and accountability tool for people of all ages.