Unless you’re a practitioner of near-monastic minimalism, it’s likely you have a lot of stuff. And much of that stuff needs storage—preferably organized storage. Crammed closets, jumbled drawers, overflowing bookshelves and other storage disasters not only look bad,but also sap your time and energy. Getting control of clutter and installing workable storage systems is, in the long run, a gift to yourself.

Steps for storage

1. Assess the way you keep your stuff. Can you find the things you need when you need them? Do items emerge from storage in good shape? What are your biggest storage issues? Once you clearly identify specific problems,you’ll be on your way to finding solutions.
2. Strive for simplicity with the storage systems you create. Store things as close as possible to where you use them—if you use them frequently. That turkey platter that comes out only on Thanksgiving doesn’t need to be on the most accessible shelffor the other 364 days of the year. Keep the blender handy if you go into smoothie production every morning.
3. Sort through piles of paperwork and save time and money by finding the right thing at the right time.
4. Turn closets into allies instead of a no-man’s land from which things never return. Add closet organizers to increase capacity while decreasing chaos. Get comfortable with culling and regularly pare down belongings so it’s easier to find a place for everything.
5. Take advantage of the profusion of new containers available both online and in brick-and-mortar stores. From the Container Store to Target, Kmart to Home Depot, a wide array of stores offer storage products in every price range. SpaceSavers.com, TheHomeMarketplace.com and TheContainerStore.com are just a few of the many Web sites that carry a plethora of storage aids.
6. Browse for storage solutions and continually ask yourself “What else could I store in that?” The hanging shoe holder’s pockets could hold a collection of small stuffed animals; the plastic sweater box could store craft supplies; and the acid-free cardboard box designed to protect artwork could preserve vintage linens.
7. Label what you can’t see. If you don’t want to use clear plastic boxes to store your shoes, at least label the ends so you aren’t on a hunt for your sandals when the plane to Hawaii leaves in a few hours. Be specific with your labels. Scrawling “books” on a cardboard carton is not enough. “Cookbooks” is better; “Cookbooks: Italian” will make finding a particular volume easy.
8. Decide not to hide. A collection displayed is a collection that doesn’t need storage space. Don’t reserve wall space just for paintings, photos or a grouping of china plates. If your purses are fabulous, hang them from pegs on the dressing room wall. If you’ve saved wine corks from every special vintage you ever tasted, pile them in a shallow wooden bowl or in a tall cylindrical glass vase.
9. Steal ideas from the pros. Retail stores, hotels and restaurants pay designers and stylists to devise innovative and attractive storage solutions. Whether it’s wineglasses hung from wooden racks over a bar or a hairdryer stored in a muslin bag and hung from a hook on a hotel sink, clever ideas await your copying.

Other tips

Keep a storage journal. Whether it’s a section of your household organizer or a file on your computer, a list of what storage pieces you need to shop for and what new ideas you’d like to try is a valuable aid to staying organized. It should contain brief notes as to where infrequently used items are stored. A year later, you might have forgotten you stowed that turkey platter under the guest room bed. 

Last, but not least, be sure to enter the "Organize This!" Cal Closets contest to win $20,000 in custom storage solutions and a consultation with Peter Walsh.

(This article is reprinted with permission from peterwalshdesign.com.)

Peter Walsh was first seen helping thousands of people get excited about decluttering and organizing their homes and their lives in the hit TLC show Clean Sweep. Since then, he has moved on to The Oprah Winfrey Show helping people declutter their homes, their heads, their hearts and their hips. Peter is the author of a few best-selling books, including It's All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff. His new TV series, Enough Already! With Peter Walsh, will premiere on the new Oprah Winfrey Network (own.tv), starting in January 2011. All of this keeps him busy when he's not traveling or helping people turn their clutter and chaos into calm. You can learn more about Peter at peterwalshdesign.com.

[main image via: Emmas Blogg ]