Despite all of the obvious negatives, being forced to stay at home has been a great opportunity for many to get their lives together, start a new hobby, and take advantage of what will most likely be the only time in our lives where we physically cannot do anything outside of the house. As my four years at AMHS comes to a close, I realize that one thing that has kept me consistently somewhat sane is the fact that I can always count on having a clean and organized bedroom to come home to. Having an organized bedroom has been proven to increase productivity, improve self-esteem, and even help you sleep better. If you are not like me and can function in a messy space, I challenge you to utilize this quarantine to get organized and see if it makes a difference, as I’m sure it will. Here is a step by step guide on how to thoroughly change your living space for the better.

1. Getting rid of stuff: Start by focusing on one area, such as your closet, dresser, nightstand or underneath your bed, and look at each item. For each item, ask yourself when the last time you used it was. Be honest with yourself: if you haven’t used it in a while, you probably don’t need it. Sell clothes and shoes in good condition to consignment shops or give them away, and for everything else that cannot be recycled, throw it in the trash. I do this once or twice a year to ensure that the only items I have are ones that I use in order to minimize clutter.
2. Organize your closet: Once you have gotten rid of all old clothes and shoes, sort your clothes in a way that makes the most sense to you. For me, I sort by item type (tank tops, short-sleeved tops, sweaters, etc) and then within item type I sort by color. This makes it easier when picking out what to wear. You can also sort by season or brand if that is easier for you. PRO TIP: use velvet hangers to ensure that your clothes won’t fall off
3. Organize your drawers: I keep all of my t-shirts and sweatshirts in my dresser so I have more room in my closet. I make sure that all t-shirts and sweatshirts are file folded (which I learned working in retail) so that I can see the graphic on each item without it taking up too much space. It’s also helpful to have a drawer designated for each item type.
4. Get rid of clutter on surfaces: I have found that having the least amount of items out in plain sight makes a room look cleaner. Rather than storing stuff on the surfaces of my desk/dresser/nightstand, I utilize drawers and under the bed storage systems to keep it hidden. I also store a lot of stuff in my closet, like extra school supplies and textbooks, so that the only things I have out are for decoration or have a function (like a lamp or my oil diffuser). This step is optional, as some people don’t prefer a minimalistic style for their room, but it is my preference.
5. Clean: Once you have gotten rid of everything you don’t need and deeply organized everything, you can now begin the boring part: cleaning. I start by dusting, working from the highest surfaces and working my way down to make sure that dust doesn’t fall on a clean surface. After that, I Windex my mirrors and vacuum my floors. If I’m feeling extra, I finish it all off with steam mopping my floors for maximized cleanliness. 
6. Maintenance: Just because you clean your room once doesn’t mean it’s going to stay that way. To avoid a long deep clean, I keep my room pretty straight by doing my laundry, dusting, and vacuuming once a week, and washing my sheets once every other week. This way my room never gets out of hand and always stays clean. 
7. Other tips: Make your bed every morning. Don’t leave your room or go to bed with clothes out. Fully finish a task before starting another (for example, when doing laundry, clean your clothes, fold them and put them away instantly instead of keeping a bunch of clean clothes in your hamper for days).

Hopefully you found these tips helpful, and I wish you the best of luck.