Small spaces you can declutter today

Start March off right [Don’t try to declutter your whole life. Start here.]( Figuring out how to overhaul and reorder your life can be downright overwhelming. Rather than trying to tackle an entire room, we recommend starting small by focusing on specific, contained areas that you frequent regularly. [Keeping these high-traffic spaces]( clean can give your brain a breather—and with that extra brain space, you can move on to the rest of your home. For even more tidying advice delivered to your inbox every week, sign up for the [Clean Everything Newsletter→]( We independently review everything we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. [Learn more ›]( [The fridge]( [A photo showing the inside of a fridge with food in it. There is a turntable with condiments and a jar of cashew butter inside.]( Marguerite Preston To start, pull everything out of your refrigerator—yes, including the mystery Tupperware that’s been festering in a back corner—and toss any expired ingredients. After you give the shelves and drawers a [wipe down]( it’s time to create a new system. Investing in a turntable to keep your most-used ingredients and condiments in view is a great first step. We also recommend using small, [rimmed sheet pans]( to divide your shelves into clear zones and to make pulling items out much easier. [Make your fridge a better place→]( [The desk in your office]( [A photo of a desk with a plant, computer, keyboard, mouse, mug, and laptop on it.]( Michael Murtaugh The first step is to clear your desk of anything you don’t use daily. Printers, scanners, and external hard drives, for instance, can be placed on a side table or tucked away under your desk. Use a [desktop organizer]( with plenty of slots and compartments to arrange your everyday essentials, like pens, Post-it notes, and important documents. To further streamline your workstation, [tame your unruly cables](. Reusable cable ties and cable sleeves are the best ways to corral the cords snaking every which way. [Tackle your desk→]( [The bag you carry around every day]( [A photo of a bag with its contents spilled out, including gum, glasses, lotion and more.]( Sarah Kobos Start by emptying the entire bag and removing everything you don’t need. To keep your bag from morphing into an abyss that eats chapstick and hair ties, keep dedicated pouches in your bag. [We recommend ones here]( that are perfect for charging cables, headphones, makeup, and more. To simplify things even further, you can ditch the separate pouches and instead opt for one of [our recommended purse organizers]( with built-in pockets and pouches. [Beautify your bag→]( [Your closet]( [A photo of the inside of an organized closet.]( Michael Hession A closet system (and before that, a clothing purge) is a great way to arrange your space, eliminate clutter, and fit more stuff into your closet. These wall-mounted organizers are typically modular, which give you the opportunity to create a closet that works for you. If your space isn’t conducive to a closet system (or you’re working with a tighter budget), you can invest in [a few modular pieces]( to create the closet of your dreams. Stackable shelves and cubbies allow you to mix and match shoe cubbies, drawers, and shelves to suit your needs. Shelf dividers help tidy piles of linens and keep bags separated and upright. [Clean your closet→]( [Your digital space]( [A photo of a computer screen showing that someone has just backed up their files.]( Rozette Rago Start by creating keywords and tags for all of your folders and files, such as “personal documents,” “in progress,” and “complete.” You can also separate your photos in folders labeled with the appropriate year and month. To [make locating your digital essentials effortless]( pin your frequently used folders so they’ll always be up top. Then, back up all your data on either [an external hard drive]( or with [an automatic online backup service]( we recommend using both methods, in case something (fire, theft, natural disaster) affects both your computer and local backup drive. [Declutter your digital life→]( Enjoy your freshly tidied spaces. [View email in browser]( You are receiving this email because you signed up for Wirecutter’s Newsletter. Getting too many emails from us? To stop receiving Top Picks, [unsubscribe](. 
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