Tidy home, tidy mind. It’s not that we disagree, but keeping on top of clutter is easier said than done. Busola Evans asks the experts to share their shortcuts to taking the stress out of sorting.

Studies have shown a cluttered environment can overwhelm the brain, cause stress, anxiety and an inability to concentrate. Well, quite. But when our social feeds are full of color-coded bookshelves and labeled larders (search #organisation and you’ll get 4.3m posts), it’s easy to feel inadequate, and under pressure to keep on top of the piles of our everyday lives.

Let’s simplify things. Organized living is just editing your home. And (sorry about this) it never ends. But the reward is: delete the unnecessary stuff and only the best is left. Here’s some real advice to consider how to actually do that.

Just begin. No planning, no big ambitions. Just a short burst of 30 minutes sorting a small, manageable space. “Don’t tackle the clutter all at once,” says Andrea Lewis, founder of The Organised Curator. “Start with one drawer, in the kitchen or bedroom, or a relatively easy space, like the hallway.” Look for easy wins that won’t overwhelm. What is worth thinking about is what your day or your week looks like. What do you need from your space? What pressure does your daily routine have on your surroundings? Prioritize yourself before making changes.

“When we need to organize, the knee-jerk reaction is to get more storage,” says Lewis. “It’s not always the solution. The real key to being organized is having less.” One of the biggest magnets for clutter are closets and chests of drawers. It’s why we end up with too many pairs of black pants – it’s all so crammed, we’ve no idea what clothes we own. And yes, we know if you haven’t worn something for a year, you’re supposed to let it go, but that’s easier said than done. “If you don’t have time for a big overhaul, get rid of your drawers and hang more,” says Laura Price, founder of decluttering specialists The Home Organisation. Swop bulky hangers for slim ones, in one color, so rails are neater, clearer and space is maximized.

Don’t treat your home like a storage unit. The challenge is to give yourself permission to let things go (and permission to buy again). Checklist your clutter – is it the best, the favorite or the necessary? If it’s not, throw it. Note to self: throwing anything into a tall basket is not the answer – when does anything from the bottom ever see the light of day? If you do have a genuine need for a storage box (toys, stationery, laundry), keep it shallow and versatile.

Allow yourself a dumping zone, a junk drawer, a work-in-progress area. Bags, umbrellas, lipsticks, phone chargers – this is real life. The Home Organisation’s Laura Price recommends dividing junk drawers up so you can still create a sense of calm among the clutter. “Storage boxes should allow you to see everything you have,” she says.

There’s no doubt we are living in a decanting age, and who doesn’t love a label, but open shelving puts additional pressure on us to display our kitchen wares in a picture-perfect way. But there is good argument to decant some food stuff into lidded glass jars. They help preserve the freshness, prevent waste, minimize spillages and enable you to manage stock more efficiently. Laura Price agrees: “We advise people to decant their grains and flours into jars as they become easier to see and make better use of the space when stacked.”

When it comes to storing linen in drawers or cupboards, many professional organizers favor the ‘file folding’ method. This means arranging folded items not flat, but stacked vertically, like you would in a filing cabinet, so you are able to see every item. Alternatively, says A Tidy Mind’s Craig Hoareau, “Sheets can be cumbersome so try rolling them, instead of battling to fold them”. And keep the same bed sizes together to identify easily – a good tip is to put a set inside a pillowcase and roll the whole bundle up.

Ask yourself what you believe the benefits of an organized home would be. A feeling of calm? To be able to keep on top of the daily chores? A less-stressed hostess? Remember your home reflects who you are, piles of laundry and all. Tidy the mess, but don’t obsess. The imperfect home is often the most welcoming of all.

Busola Evans is a contributing interiors writer and editor for several leading publications, including The Telegraph and Architectural Digest, and former executive editor of The World Of Interiors. Follow her on Instagram @busolaevans