The 9 Things That Actually Keep My Home Running Smoothly (Only 3 Are Products!)

I've spent 14 years reviewing hundreds of organizing products, and if you asked me to choose just one favorite, I could do it pretty easily. But recently I started thinking about a different question. Instead of asking which organizing products I love the most, I asked myself what actually makes the biggest difference in keeping our home running smoothly on a normal Tuesday.

What surprised me is that only three of the nine things that came to mind were products you can buy. The other six are completely free! Some are simple habits or rules I've adopted over the years, and a couple are actually things I've stopped doing altogether. One of them took me years to finally give myself permission to stop doing.

So keep reading or check out the video here for the nine things that genuinely make my home and life easier, including what's not-so-perfect about each one.

1. My Favorite Multi-Purpose Organizing Bin

If I could keep only one organizing product, it would probably be my multi-purpose bins. I originally bought mine from The Container Store years ago, and I've used them just about everywhere. They've been in pantries, garages, closets, shelves, and even my car. None of mine have broken, and after years of use, they've definitely stood the test of time.

They come in four different sizes, which is one reason they're so versatile. In recent years, Target and Walmart have also introduced similar versions. I especially like the Target version because it doesn't have vents along the sides, which makes labeling easier. Unfortunately, some of the Target sizes have been out of stock for quite a while, so I'm not sure whether they'll continue carrying them. Walmart's version is another good option, although it currently comes in only three sizes.

The biggest reason I keep coming back to these bins is that they're simple. They aren't designed for one specific room or one specific type of item. You can move them around your house as your needs change, which makes them much more useful than an organizing product that only solves one problem.

2. My Favorite Cheap Organizing Product

At around 30 to 50 cents each, bead boxes might be the least expensive organizing product I use regularly. Ironically, I don't think I've ever actually stored beads in them.

They're perfect for all those tiny items that otherwise disappear into the bottom of drawers and bins. I use them for small cords, spare keys, extra puzzle pieces, little junk drawer items, and anything else that's small enough to get lost but important enough that I don't want to throw it away.

The one catch is that you absolutely need to label them. If you line up ten identical little boxes and have no idea what's inside any of them, you've just created a new organizing problem.

3. My Favorite Easy Labeling Trick

My favorite labels aren't fancy vinyl labels made with a Cricut or even labels from a label maker. They're freezer tape and a Sharpie.

I tear off a piece of tape, write directly on it, stick it to the container, and I'm done. I don't even need scissors. It's incredibly inexpensive, so I don't worry about wasting a label if I make a mistake, and I can relabel something in seconds if the contents change.

Technically, I consider these temporary labels. Freezer tape can eventually peel off, and it certainly doesn't look as polished as a beautiful vinyl label. But “temporary” can last a surprisingly long time. I've had temporary freezer tape labels on some of my spices for about two years now, and they're still doing their job just fine.

Those are my three favorite things you can buy. The remaining six don't cost anything at all.

4. The 70% Rule

Growing up, my dad used to say, “Don't give first-rate effort to second-rate causes.” In other words, you really don't need to do your absolute best at everything.

There are obviously things in life that deserve your very best effort. But routine household tasks usually aren't among them, and learning this has been especially important for me because I can be a perfectionist.

Let's say I decide to clean the bathroom on a random Tuesday. I could easily start with a basic cleaning and ten minutes later find myself on the floor with a toothbrush scrubbing some tiny spot around the base of the toilet. Before I know it, an hour has passed, I've massively deep cleaned the bathroom, and I'm still noticing things that aren't perfect.

What happens the next time the bathroom needs cleaning? I remember that miserable hour-long cleaning session and don't want to do it again.

That's why I started using what I think of as my 70% rule. Another way I describe it is trying to earn a C. If someone came into my house and graded how thoroughly I cleaned the bathroom, I'm not aiming for an A or even a B. I want a solid, perfectly acceptable C.

This applies to all sorts of things. Vacuuming the stairs can be a three-minute job if I simply vacuum them. It can also become an hour-long project if I start wiping down every baseboard and trying to remove every speck of dust. I even stopped neatly folding my washcloths. They're stored inside a bin in a cabinet where no one sees them, so now I toss them into the bin and move on with my life.

Of course, some things occasionally need an A+ effort. The trick is recognizing when something genuinely deserves it instead of giving everything in your home the same level of attention.

5. The Most Important Two Minutes of My Day

There are certain moments during the day when clutter accumulates much faster than others. For me, the worst two minutes happen when I walk in the door.

I'm usually carrying my purse, papers, packages, or whatever else came home with me. The first surface I encounter when I come in from the garage is our kitchen island, so that's naturally where everything wants to land. Unfortunately, a kitchen island covered in stuff is one of my biggest pet peeves. When it's cluttered, I don't even want to cook.

I've learned that being intentional during those two minutes makes a surprisingly big difference. I have a hook right inside the door for my purse, and our shoe cubbies are nearby. Am I perfect about getting my shoes all the way into the cubby? Absolutely not. Sometimes I at least kick them in the general direction of the cubby, but that's still better than leaving them in the middle of the floor.

The same principle works with papers. If everyone naturally drops papers in the same place when they come inside, don't fight that habit. Put a basket there. Now everyone can continue doing what they're already doing, but the papers land in a designated container instead of becoming a pile.

Pay attention to your home for a week and figure out when your worst clutter accumulation happens. It might be when everyone walks through the door, when the kids get home from school, or during the bedtime rush. Then see if you can put a simple system in place right where the clutter naturally appears.

6. The Reminder Trick That Actually Gets Me to Do Things

Like most people, I've used reminders on my phone for years. The problem was that I got really good at ignoring them.

A reminder would pop up telling me to return the library books or cancel a subscription, but I'd be busy. I'd dismiss it or tell myself I'd deal with it later, and then I wouldn't. The library books would end up late, or I'd get charged for another month of a subscription I wasn't even using.

Now I add one simple thing to my reminders: the consequence.

Instead of writing “Cancel Netflix,” I might write, “Cancel Netflix or you'll be charged $17 for something you aren't using.” Instead of “Return library books,” I might write, “Return library books or they'll be late.”

That extra sentence makes the reminder feel more urgent because it tells me exactly why I cared enough to create the reminder in the first place. The key is to be nice to yourself. This isn't about berating yourself or trying to make yourself feel guilty. You're simply reminding your future self what will happen if you don't take action.

7. The Sock Decision That Saves Me So Much Time

For years, I hated matching my kids' socks. Even when I tried to buy similar ones, there would inevitably be different colored stripes or slightly different styles. Then one sock would disappear, I'd keep its lonely match sitting around waiting for it, and of course the missing sock would show up approximately five minutes after I finally gave up and threw the other one away.

Eventually I decided I was done.

I bought my daughter a bunch of identical white socks and my son a bunch of identical black socks. Each child has around 15 pairs, and every sock within their set is exactly the same. I don't match them anymore. They all get tossed into the drawer, and when someone needs socks, they grab any two.

One simple decision completely eliminated a recurring household task.

The downside is that you have to be willing to get rid of the random socks you already own. If your kids are about to move into a new sock size anyway, that's a perfect time to make the switch.

8. My Monthly Clean Slate Day

There are certain little life admin tasks that I am exceptionally talented at putting off. Returns need to be made. Appointments need to be scheduled. Someone needs to be called. A piece of paperwork needs to be figured out. There's a weird tax question that requires an email to my accountant.

Individually, none of these things are necessarily a huge deal. But together, they start creating this constant background pressure because I know they're sitting there waiting for me.

That's why I created Clean Slate Day. At least once a month, I set aside time specifically to deal with this backlog of annoying little tasks. I actually do it live on YouTube so other people can join me, which gives me extra accountability and makes the whole thing much more enjoyable.

One of the biggest benefits isn't even getting the tasks done. It's that I can stop feeling guilty about not doing them every other day of the month. Instead of constantly thinking, “I really need to make that call,” I know when I'm going to deal with it. It's on my calendar, I've committed to showing up, and I can let it go until then.

There is something incredibly satisfying about clearing that backlog and starting fresh.

9. I Finally Stopped Trying to Be a Morning Person

For years, I thought getting up early was somehow inherently more productive. You hear about 5:00 a.m. morning routines and all the incredibly successful people who exercise, shower, make breakfast, read, journal, and accomplish half their to-do list before the rest of the world wakes up.

So I kept thinking I should do that too.

I tried going to bed early and getting up at 5:00 a.m. Sometimes I failed and felt bad about failing. Other times I actually succeeded, but it still didn't work particularly well because I'm simply not a morning person.

Can I physically make myself get out of bed at 5:00 a.m.? Of course. But I'm never going to be at my peak energy at that time. If I get on my treadmill or spin bike at 5:30 in the morning, I spend the entire workout wanting it to end. I don't work as hard, I don't enjoy it, and I'm miserable. If I do the exact same workout at 10:00 a.m., I'm having fun within a couple of minutes and working much harder.

Eventually I had to ask myself why I was fighting my own natural biology.

My body naturally prefers something closer to an 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. schedule, so I've finally embraced that. I still love the idea of having quiet time to reset, think, or get things done, but I do it at night. The hours between about 9:00 and 11:00 p.m., after everyone else is settling down, can be my quiet time instead.

It took me years to give myself permission to stop trying to become a morning person, and life works so much better now that I have.

The lesson isn't that you should stay up until 11:00 because that's what works for me. If you naturally love waking up at 5:00 a.m., use that! The point is to notice when you're repeatedly forcing yourself to follow a routine that doesn't fit you simply because you've been told that's what productive people are supposed to do.

Make Your Home Work for You

When I look at all nine of these things together, the common thread isn't really organizing. It's removing unnecessary friction.

Sometimes that means buying a versatile bin that makes it easier to put things away. Other times it means creating a five-second labeling system instead of making beautiful labels. Sometimes it means deciding that washcloths don't need to be folded or that socks don't need to be matched. And sometimes it means admitting that the routine everyone else seems to love simply doesn't work for you.

The goal isn't to run your home perfectly. It's to make the things you do over and over again a little easier.

And if you're looking for even more ideas to help you organize, declutter, and simplify your home and life, Get Organized HQ Virtual is one of my favorite places to find them. It's completely free to attend, with sessions from experts covering everything from organizing and decluttering to meal planning, wardrobe, time management, and more. Just make sure you grab your free ticket before the event begins so you can join us!