Secrets to Living Simply: Insider Tips from a Pro

We asked our friend Tova for some tips on how to stay organized while keeping it fun! Here's what she had to say.

As a Professional Organizer in NYC, I’m a huge fan of the simple life. But that doesn’t mean boring, basic, empty, or monotone. It doesn’t entail empty rooms with minimal furniture and all white everything. In fact, it’s quite different! Simplifying means taking away the distractions, clutter and excess that are holding us back and stopping us from filling our lives with the stuff we love. It allows us to hone in and the activities and possessions that we care about and make the rest disappear. And in a vast city like New York, that looks different to everyone. So whether you’re aiming for a complete overhaul or simply want to streamline your morning routine, take a look at these suggestions and consider if they’re enticing to you.

• Unsubscribe from junk emails. Fewer emails popping into your life means more time for meaningful activities. Instead of deleting emails that are of no interest (or even worse, letting them remain unopened!), take a few seconds to unsubscribe from the mailing list. For expedited cleanup, check out unroll.me.

• Avoid duplicates in your shower and bathroom. Sure, it’s fun to try out various products, but your bathroom isn’t a drugstore. To prevent clutter and a daily search for the cream or lotion that you’re looking for, keep one open product at a time. That means one shampoo, conditioner and body wash in your shower and one deodorant and toothpaste opened at a time.

• Invest in matching socks. If all of your socks are the same, there will be no such thing as mismatches and you’ll save lots of time when folding your laundry. Consider choosing a brand and sticking to it. Personally, all of my socks are black – high, wool socks for the winter and short ones for the summer.

• Purge old notes, lists, and scattered inspiration. To save yourself from a paper mess, get in the habit of letting go of jotted notes and inspiration as you accomplish your goals. And if your brain allows for it, try to use a notebook instead of loose papers. This way you’ll know exactly where to look for any important information.

• Create a cleaning schedule. To help your home stay tidy throughout the week, put together a schedule with the tasks that are most important (washing dishes, hanging up clothing, sweeping the kitchen). Stick to it. After a while accomplishing these simple tasks will become second nature and more intense cleaning sessions will be less dreadful.