How to Use the SIMPLE Method to Organize Your Entire Home

Inside: Learn how to use the SIMPLE method to organize your entire home to make it a more functional space for you and your family.

When it comes to decluttering and getting organized, it’s helpful to use a tried-and-true approach to make it happen.

With a little research, you’ll see that there are all kinds of methods and plans that you can follow – and choosing the one that’s right for you can seem a little overwhelming. 

If you’re looking for an easy, stress-free strategy to get your space organized, I recommend the SIMPLE method.

This straightforward approach to organizing will make it effortless to find needed items and simple to put them away.

What are the steps of the SIMPLE method?

Developed by professional organizer Kathy Jenkins, this approach will empower you to effectively organize every corner of your home. 

The SIMPLE method to organize your home involves six easy steps:

S: Sort like with like.

I: Identify what to keep.

M: Make a home for it.

P: Put it in containers.

L: Label it.

E: Establish a routine.

By following these steps and sticking to this logical order, you’ll be able to create a beautifully organized home from start to finish with minimal stress and time spent on the task.

Step 1 of the SIMPLE Method: Sort like with like.

The first step of the SIMPLE method involves identifying clear categories for the stuff you’re trying to organize – and sorting your items accordingly. 

Organizing your bedroom? Categories might include clothes, shoes, books, personal care items, and decorative items.

Working on your bathroom? Categories could include lotions and creams, prescription medicines, first aid items, makeup, hair care supplies, and cleaning supplies. 

You don’t have to define your categories before you begin – you can sort as you go, creating new categories as you identify items that don’t belong with the others.

And the categories you come up with for one space likely won’t transfer well to another. Your garage contains different stuff than your living room and should be treated as such. 

This step is important because it allows you to more easily assess the scope of the problem and can help you make decisions on what to get rid of and what to keep – which is the next step in the process.

Step 2 of the SIMPLE Method: Identify what to keep.

Once you’ve sorted like with like, it’s time to go through those piles and figure out what stays and what goes. 

With items neatly organized by category, you can make quick work of this process. Things that are expired or broken? Dispose of them properly.

Things you don’t really use – and don’t think you ever will? Consider selling or donating them to someone who could actually use them.

Have too many of something? Prioritize the items you like the most and part ways with the rest.

If a pile is overwhelmingly large, consider breaking it down into smaller piles by subcategory.

For instance, if the pile of clothes is too much to manage, sort them by type – t-shirts, dresses, sweaters, pants, shorts, socks. Then, go through those respective piles to figure out what stays and what goes. 

Prioritizing this step in the SIMPLE method is crucial so focus dedicated time and energy here. While organization is important, decluttering more is crucial to getting to a manageable amount of stuff.

Step 3 of the SIMPLE Method: Make a home for it.

Now that you’ve gotten rid of the stuff you don’t need, it’s time to create a home for everything you want to keep.

Some things likely already have homes and just managed to find their way out of place – things like your clothes, the television remote, or your pots and pans in the kitchen. 

But others? You may need to come up with storage solutions and dedicated spaces for items to belong.

Consider dedicating specific drawers, shelves, or closets to specific items to keep things organized. 

Step 4 of the SIMPLE Method: Put it in containers.

Once you’ve made a home for everything, take your organization one step further by putting everything into dedicated containers. 

Instead of buying bins and containers upfront, it’s smart to wait until this stage in the process so you understand exactly what you need to store where.

This will allow you to buy storage containers and solutions that are exactly right for what you need, eliminating the risk of buying something too big or too small.

There are all kinds of storage containers out there, so take your time and do a bit of research to figure out the best organizational system for your specific needs.

Consider how and where you’ll use the stored items, too. For instance, when shopping for a container to hold your cleaning supplies, you might opt for a storage caddy instead of a regular bin so it’s easier to transport around the house. 

Step 5 of the SIMPLE Method: Label it. 

Labels are a great way to ensure your organizational efforts last for months and years to come.

By clearly indicating what goes where you eliminate any confusion and can help items land back in the right place after they’ve been used.

Labels are especially useful if you’re sharing your space with others – roommates, a spouse, or children. Different people can have different ideas about where items belong. Clearly labeling what goes where will minimize the chaos and keep everyone on the same page.

Labels are also great for items that move into longer-term storage, like clothes that get packed into bins for seasonal rotation or holiday decor.

By labeling each bin, you make it easy for yourself to know what’s what and save yourself the headache of opening each container to figure out its contents. 

Step 6 of the SIMPLE Method: Establish a routine.

The final step to use the SIMPLE method to organize your home is to establish a routine.

Once you have everything sorted, organized, labeled, and put away, it’s time to go into maintenance mode.

Over time, it’s inevitable for items to wander away from their designated home, or new items to appear. 

Create tidying habits where you and your family consistently put things back where they belong. Occasionally, evaluate your storage solutions to make sure they’re still working for you.

Whether you choose to tackle your space for a few minutes at the end of each day or dedicate some focused time each weekend to the task, staying on top of it is the only way to ensure you aren’t left with a mess again. 

Have you tried to use the SIMPLE method to organize your home? Leave a comment and let me know!

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