When it comes to wellness, your space matters just as much as your workout routine or your morning matcha. An organized home equals a calmer mind, but that doesn’t mean you need to embrace minimalism.
Kourtney’s personal organizer Carroll Cartwright, founder of Neatly & Co., believes organization is less about letting go of what you love and more about creating systems that make your things easy to find, use, and enjoy.
Below, she shares her top five organizing tips.
- Edit first, always.
Forget the Pinterest-perfect bins for now. Organization actually starts with letting go. Carroll says most spaces shed 20% to 30% of their stuff before a single container enters the picture.
“Once the excess is gone, the right system has a clear foundation to build upon,” she explains. “When you clear the excess, you make room for mental clarity.”
- Use baby hangers.
Closet chaos, meet your match. Carroll swears by baby hangers (yes, baby hangers) for pants. “They are the perfect size and help minimize sway, keeping everything aligned and tidy,” she says. “It is such a simple swap that makes an immediate visual difference in your closet.”
- Always close your circles.
Carroll’s mantra, “Close your circles,” means completing each organizing task before moving on.
For example, take a moment to put things back where they belong before leaving a room. Carroll says this is “one of the simplest but most effective habits you can build.”
She also recommends a nightly circle closing.
“At the end of the day, I always do a quick surface reset, so we wake up to clear counters and a fresh start. When you close your circles, you create calm and make organization feel effortless,” she says.
- Keep it small.
Overhauling your entire house in one day equals instant overwhelm. Instead, Carroll recommends taking one small space at a time and completing that space (close your circle!) before moving on.
“Edit, group, give everything a home, and take donations out the same day,” she says. “Small wins build momentum, and momentum builds lasting order.”
- Don’t force minimalism.
“Organization is not about forcing minimalism or letting go of things that bring you joy,” Carroll says. “If you love it, keep it. This can apply to dishware, small appliances, clothing, beach towels, anything.”
And yep, this applies even if it’s been a while since you’ve used an item.
“My approach is never about making people get rid of what they love. It’s about creating systems that make those things easy to find, use, and enjoy,” Carroll says.
At the end of the day, an organized home isn’t about perfection or minimalism. It’s about building habits that stick and designing a space that actually works for you. Thanks to Carroll’s tips, the path from chaos to clarity just got a whole lot easier.
