Declutter like a pro: How to organize your home stress-free

Decluttering is good for your peace of mind

Our home is a reflection of our state of mind – and that includes how we tidy up. Psychology shows that an organized space calms inner chaos, boosts focus, and lifts your mood. Plus, decluttering often helps you rediscover your home. You might find long-forgotten treasures or get inspired for a fresh new look. And there is nothing better than relaxing on the couch after a job well done to admire your hard work.

Get Organized: 5 Golden Rules

Organizing the right way means organizing the smart way. It is best to start with the rooms where order is absolutely essential: in the home office, it creates a perfect working atmosphere; in the living room, it ensures relaxation after a long day.

You don't have to become a minimalist or spend hours tidying up every single room. On the contrary: if you use a systematic approach and stick to five golden rules in your daily routine, keeping a tidy home is child's play:

1. Always take it step by step. Whether it's an entire room, a dresser, or just a single drawer: set clear goals when tidying up.
2. Looks are (almost) everything. Clear surfaces, a made bed, and neatly draped throws or pillows on the couch create an instant impression of order.
3. Make every trip count. Heading to the bedroom or grabbing something from the kitchen? Check if you can take something with you to put back in its place.
4. More storage is often not the answer. If your drawers are overflowing, you should declutter before buying a larger dresser. Always.
5. Do it right away. If something takes less than a minute to put away, do it immediately. This saves you from spending hours cleaning up over the weekend.

Tidying up the living room: relaxed coziness

A little bit of chaos is allowed in the living room. After all, this is where you should be completely yourself. Tidying up here is not about strict order, but about creating a feel-good vibe. Furniture plays a big role in this:

Lowboards or dressers with closed fronts create a calm impression – regardless of whether there is clutter behind the doors. If you love open shelves, knick-knacks simply disappear into pretty storage boxes and baskets with a fabric look.

In general, baskets are true all-rounders for an organized home. Toys, throw blankets, or hobby supplies are perfectly tucked away in baskets next to the couch or armchair – and always within reach.

You can also create a tidy look through your room layout. A rug in the seating area creates an island of calm and triggers your sense of order: we want to enjoy the fluffy surface to the fullest and showcase the beautiful look perfectly. So we almost automatically put away things that don't belong there.

Tidying tip: Do you love books? Sort them by color! Especially in small living rooms, color-coded bookshelves instantly look much calmer.

Decluttering your home office: Get to work!

Is your desk disappearing under mountains of paper, and finding important documents takes forever? Let's change that. An organized office boosts productivity and saves you a lot of time. The most important organizing tip? Everything has its place – and is put right back there as soon as you're done using it.

Create an organization system with ring binders, mobile filing cabinets, and desk organizers, keeping everything from pens to important bills within arm's reach. In addition, follow these rules:

1. Start every workday in an orderly office. Tidy up your desk at the end of the day, file away documents, put binders back in the filing cabinet, etc. If your home office welcomes you in "factory settings," you'll be in work mode instantly.
2. Keep your thoughts organized. Ideas, project sketches, appointments, etc., don't belong on loose scraps of paper, but should go on a whiteboard, a magnetic board, or a wall calendar. This keeps deadlines in sight while freeing up your mind for the next steps.
3. Label everything. From storage boxes to ring binders, every organizing helper gets a label. That way, you don't have to remember where you stored something and can find everything in a single grab. Thermal label printers are handy, ready to use, and don't require extra ink.

Extra tip: Your laptop as a digital desktop needs order just as much. Only applications and documents you currently need should be on your desktop. Everything else should be well-sorted and indexed in storage. You should also regularly clean out your email inbox and cloud storage.