Organized People Have These 5 Things in Their Homes — Do You?

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Organization is all about time management and making sure your belongings have a designated home for easy access and cleanup. It's a simple concept, but it's not always easy to pull off, especially when you're being pulled in a million directions by work, trips to the grocery store, your kid's cello lessons, your Twitter feed, and the dog who just can't get enough walks. (See also: 25 Easy Organizing Changes You Can Make Today)

Luckily, there are tons of tools on the market to help you keep calm, cool, and coordinated. Read on for our roundup of the things every organized person should have in the home if they want to stay clear of chaos and clutter.

1. A Shoe Rack

Never again will you have the right shoe but not the left. Never again will you have to tear up the house looking for that missing pair of rain boots. A rack built to store and display two dozen pairs of footwear is the organized person's must-have sanity tool. Try something sleek and simple like this Whitmor rack.

2. Grid-It Organizer

This rubberized grid of elastic bands is like a Trapper Keeper for grown ups that slides right into your drawer, bag, or briefcase. Simply place the items you need — cell phone, toothpaste, notebook, flashlight, measuring stick, business card holder — beneath an elastic strap and the Grid-It Organizer will hold them firmly in place. Rummaging through a bag or junk drawer to find your flash drive is now a thing of the past.

3. A Garbage Can — That Gets Used For More Than Just Food Scraps

Organized people stay organized in part because they don't hold on to every little thing they've ever owned. They know when it's time to say goodbye, if only to prevent clutter from cramping their style. Even the smallest show of resistance to a good spring cleaning is indicative of mild hoarding. (See also: 25 Things to Throw Out Today)

"People hoard because they believe that an item will be useful or valuable in the future," writes Fugen Neziroglu, Director of the Bio-Behavioral Institute in Great Neck, New York. "Or they feel it has sentimental value, is unique and irreplaceable, or too big a bargain to throw away. They may also consider an item a reminder that will jog their memory, thinking that without it they won't remember an important person or event. Or because they can't decide where something belongs, it's better just to keep it."

4. Smart Shelving

We all use shelving to organize everything from our kitchenware to our laundry supplies. But organized people utilize this shelving with a bit of forward-thinking: Whether its dishes or detergents, the organized person arranges the items on their shelves by frequency of use, with everyday items on an easy-to-reach shelf and special-occasion items tucked behind or above.

5. A Filing Cabinet

A home filing system keeps the organized person free from the frustrations that come with not being able to find their passport. That's because the organized person stores all important documents and paperwork in a single cabinet organized with tabs marked by category and the letters of the alphabet.

Are you organized? What do you use to help keep your place organized and clutter free? Please share in comments.

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