Home organization is one of the most universal stress triggers, according to a study reported by The Huffington Post. The survey revealed that 84% of stressed Americans say they worry that their home isn’t clean or organized enough, and within that group, 55% called it out as a source of recent stress.

A disorganized home not only increases stress levels, but clutter can also affect our anxiety levels, sleep, and ability to focus. Because our physical environment influences cognition, emotions, and behaviors, when our space is messy we become less productive which can trigger other damaging behaviors such as overeating and reduction in physical activity.

Our homes are a place of refuge, a retreat that allows us to feel safe from the demands of life, work, finances, and other areas that add stress. If your home is cluttered, messy, and disorganized it can become impossible to relax and find the peace you need.

However, with a good plan, your home can become a way to combat stress! Here are 6 easy tips to get you started!

1. Start small especially if your house has gotten out of control. Break the project down into small tasks with time limits otherwise, you will get overwhelmed. Begin by making a list of each area you want to organize and then setting time limits that allow for breaks until the job is complete. This sample list can help guide you:
2. • Your closet
   • Kitchen
   • Bathroom cabinets
   • Kids clothing
   • Toys
   • Linen closet
   • Garage
   • Office
   • Jewelry
   • Medicines
   • Crafts
   • Family room

2. Listen to a podcast or play music while you work to make the process feel less tedious.

3. Adopt the KonMari Method. Marie Kondo has turned the art of organizing into a successful industry. If you have seen her Netflix show or read any of her bestselling books, you know that the first order of business when decluttering a space is to purge. Always begin purging with the easiest items to get rid such as broken electronics, tattered clothing, anything that is no longer usable. The next wave may be more difficult, but using the KonMari Method – asking yourself if an item up for consideration brings you joy – will help you make the tough decisions. Create piles for donation, trash, recycle, yard sale to aid in the decluttering process.

4. Click, Tag, Save… and Shred! The amount of time spent “looking” for that bill, article, or letter can add up… so tackle the piles of paper, old magazines, and advertisements, then shred as much as you can. Organize items you would like to save into categories such as memories, account Information, records, etc. Sortifyd can help you store all those important documents and photos – just click, tag, and save into folders that are easy to find and quickly accessible. Then shred the documents when you are done!

5. Remove and then Re-organize. Part of the fun (yes, there can be some fun when it comes to reorganizing your home) comes from purchasing containers to support the process. Pinterest has thousands of creative ways to organize that can also work with the decor of your home. Before you purchase anything that will house the items you keep, do the purge first. As perfect you may think those rectangular baskets will look in your office, you won’t know exactly what you need until after you have cleaned up and thrown away items you no longer need or use.

6. Organize a little each day! An organized home is good for your body, mind, and soul and you will love how your house looks when you are all done. Remember to keep your home look like the organized retreat you deserve it to be by adopting the notion of – put it away, not down. It is a lot easier to put things in their place right away instead of spending your weekends playing cleanup catchup! Create a habit to add any events, reminders, flyers, and important information into your Sortifyd app daily to avoid paper pileups and to stay on top of your busy life!