Oh yes, we've all been there

Dear Advice Girl,

Help! I'm so disorganized, I don't know what to do. Every couple of months, I get really energized and put all my immediate clutter away where it should go. But slowly it all starts to pile back up on my desk, in my inbox, and on my bedroom floor. My closet is another story – I can't even open the door without something falling out! I've always been this way and breaking the habit has been hard. Do you have any advice on how to make a plan to be organized and stay organized?

Disheveled in the District


Dear Disheveled,
Advice Girl totally hears you on this one. And while her advice may seem too obvious to be true, she promises it really really works. For real. All right, ready? You need to put things IN other things. At work, for example, you may have a handy filing cabinet, oh say, six inches to your right. Turns out, they’re not just for keeping your shoes and oatmeal in – you can actually keep paper in them too! Can, and should. Here’s your new motto: If I can pile it, I can file it. Seriously, keeping some desktop visible will keep your mind uncluttered and you’ll actually be more productive. No, you won’t forget about those things you in there. (If you do, you probably didn’t need them in the first place, right?)

Now, closets are tougher. The problem here is that you just have to get rid of things. (Yes, Advice Girl knows, there probably will be a time when you wished you had a sleeveless kimono-neck style blue jersey tank top that’s slightly too short in the midriff. But if you haven’t worn it in the last 18 months, it’s got to go.) Bedroom floors are tricky, too. They’re so handy for putting things on! Advice Girl recommends lining things up against the wall. Not technically a clutter-reducer, but somehow magically reduces the clutter look. Also, in going with the “things IN things” theme (and feel free to use that as a tongue twister to help non-native English speakers practice their “th”), at home, Advice Girl recommends an ottoman storage bench. Likely available at Crate & Barrel. Just, you know, if you had an occasion that might require registering at some such store.