11 ORGANIZING TIPS WE LEARNED IN 2014

Is "getting organized" your New Year's resolution? For inspiration, we've rounded up our 11 favorite organizing tips of the year. 

1. Get a dual-level coffee table. It doubles your display area, meaning you'll spend less time swapping out decor and have two times the room for storage, all without looking cluttered.

2. Don't even try to organize your junk drawer. Seriously, junk is in the name. Don't even try. Just let the junk be what it wants to be: A pile of stuff. 

3. Keep your landline! "Keep at least one," says professional organizer and owner of Metropolitan Organizing, Geralin Thomas, who also worked on A&E’s Hoarders. If there's a storm or an emergency, you'll want to make sure you have some way to contact help.

4. Slow down with the wall hooks. Yes, they're an easy way to keep your home looking neat. But don't let them become a dumping ground — for instance, letting your winter coats hang in the entryway until summer.

5. Don't obsess about perfection. If you spend most of your time worrying about whether your organizational system is organized enough, you're probably not actually getting organized. Don't worry about it!

6. Save your gift boxes for storage. Don't throw away the beautiful gift boxes you got this year. Instead, use them as gorgeous storage for all of the knick-knacks and small items that normally cause clutter.

7. Pass your clutter through the "three gates of meaning." This can help you decide if something is worth keeping — or if it's time to get rid of it. Ask yourself, "Is it true to my intentions? Do I use it? Is it kind to my heart and spirit?"

8. Use a mirror to hide your TV. It's stylish, sleek, and the opposite of clutter.

9. Hang it high in your hallway. A long coat rail, affixed to your hallway wall, can go a long ways towards eliminating hallway clutter. 

10. Think double-duty. Your desk can double as a table for entertaining. Certain side tables can work as chairs. Always think: Can this furniture do two things? 

11. Switch to paperless billing. Yes, saving the environment is the best part, but the side effect is that your office becomes significantly less cluttered, and that's never a bad thing. 

Source: Elle Deco