If you weren't born with the organizing gene, you've probably surveyed the pile of clothing where your bedroom floor used to be and have said: "This year, I will stop doing this."
And we know what happens: Absolutely nothing. For seriously messy people, taming messy habits is harder than weight loss. Especially when you live with other people, who are also just as messy.
2014 can be the year that the madness stops. The secret is in easy, small changes that will slowly become habits, which is all you need to turn the slob train around.
Here are a few starting points:
Fold Better. You'll fit more in every drawer, which fights the excuse "I don't have enough space for all of my old Nirvana t-shirts."
Stop Throwing Things Haphazardly In Junk Drawers. Put a utensil organizer in every drawer, so at least you're forced to put things in compartments.
No Drawers? Add Bins Instead. You'll triple your storage space, so you no longer have any reason to put everything on counters and floors.
Labels Can Re-Train You. If you put something in one place daily, eventually it'll become a habit.
Purge Your Closet. This handy guide will help prevent you from hugging a stained sweater from college while fighting back tears, five minutes into the exercise.
Follow These Super-Basic Rules. Common sense, but you're likely ignoring at least two of these.
Keep Cleaning Supplies Handy. Because if you can't find them under your sink in a second, you won't use them at all.
Stick To A Schedule (That Someone Else Made). If left to your own devices, you'll start rifling through your bookshelves, only to end up lost in an early '90s issue of Rolling Stone that you somehow acquired. Printable charts, schedules and checklists fill the Internet for a reason.
Take 10 Minutes Daily To Put Stuff Back In Its Place. Everyone has 10 minutes.
Here are a few more shortcuts you can take: