the-spatial-guy

Organize your work from home setup with these 15 expert tips

Fri, 05 Dec 2025 19:26:26 GMT

The desk. You spend more time sitting there than you’d care to admit, don’t you? And chances are, it’s a bit of a mess. If you’re like us, sticky notes, pens and notebooks tend to be scattered across the entire surface, and it’s long overdue for a little upgrade.

That may be especially true now that more and more of us have been instructed (or are choosing) to work from home indefinitely as one way to help slow the spread of coronavirus. So what better time than now, really, to get things organized so your desk at home or working space (which may currently be your kitchen table) becomes a space devoted to focus, precision and determination.

To help keep you focused on all your tasks at hand, we offer these decluttering office supplies, all recommended by top organizers who have been there, cleaned that. Their strategies will have you up and working, stat.

Choose a dedicated work space

In some cities, having a one-bedroom is a luxury in itself, so a home office? Fat chance. Even so, chief organizing expert for Mercari, Patty Morrissey, says it’s essential to have a dedicated working space when you’re away from a traditional business environment. How come? This allows us to report for duty — so to speak — and then check out when we’ve finished our day. “When you walk into the room or the nook or sit at your desk you should feel a shift, the space should trigger a response that it’s time to work,” she explains.

Ardilla Floating Desk

If you’re tight on space, consider this floating desk that’s attached to the wall. Simply unhook when it’s time to dial in for that 9 a.m. conference call, and stow it away when you’re off the clock.

Strategize a drawer system

If you ask Amy Tokos, the president-elect of the National Association of Productivity Organizing Professionals, your home desktop should be considered as prime real estate. Anything that isn’t necessary on a daily basis should be categorized neatly in drawers. That includes school papers, bills, home projects and so on. “Think of the system that works best for your family situation so that you can easily sort/find a home for each person or project,” she says. Whichever way you slice and dice it, finding a way to keep these drawers tidy is key.

Creative Fridge and Pantry Organization Ideas, Straight From the Experts

Fri, 05 Dec 2025 19:24:57 GMT

Are you feeling overwhelmed by your messy fridge? Do you feel like it’s impossible to keep your overstuffed pantry tidy and clean? Well, don’t throw in the towel just yet – having an organized, insta-worthy kitchen is not too far out of reach.

The truth is, there isn’t one, correct way to stay organized in your space. It’s about finding and creating systems that work for you and your family. To help get you started, we spoke to professional organizers along with cooking and baking experts from Fort Worth, TX to Washington, DC. They shared their best advice on cleaning out and tidying up your fridge and pantry, including creative ways to solve some of the top kitchen storage problems. Check out what they had to say so you can start creating the organized kitchen of your dreams today.

Expert tips for Pantry Organization

Try an over-the-door organizer for kids’ snacks. Give kids easy and swift access to their favorite snacks and juice. Taking less than five minutes to install, over-the-door organizers provide pocket storage for light- and medium-weight items. – Neil Edley, Sugar Plum Chocolates. The pockets are perfect for holding small items like packages of rice, popcorn, and snacks. For non-food items, store bulky utensils and water bottles. – Tidy Butterfly

Use clear bins in all different sizes to accommodate different items. Bonus: you can see everything that is inside of them. When organizing the items in each bin, be sure to put the largest items in the back and the smallest in the front so everything is easily accessible. – Sprinkle Some Sugar

Hack your habits with pantry placement. Think about what you love/want to cook most, and put the ingredients that inspire you front and center. Plus, giving what you use most a home at eye level makes it easier to put things back quickly. – Simply Maven

Group similar items together in the pantry. Transparent bins, baskets, and jars work well to store things in categories. Storing items this way uses space efficiently and you know exactly where to find each type of item. – Low Carb Yum

Create storage space for duplicate items. If I have duplicate items (usually ones that I’ve purchased on sale), I use closed bins at the bottom of my pantry to store those items – again, it keeps everything neat and tidy. – My Crazy Good Life

Organize pantry items in zones by how often you use them. Store daily use breakfast items and snacks at eye level for quick access. Keep baking supplies and canned goods below that, and back up stock items on lower shelves. – Tidy Life Happy Wife

Utilize the corners. I love using a big Lazy Susan in each corner and storing like items on each – cans, condiments, oils/vinegars, etc. – Simply Squared Away

Create an area, generally higher up and out of your ‘prime real-estate’ zone, where unopened products are stored. For example, have the opened boxes of cereal accessible and locate the new/unopened boxes higher up. The same rules apply for crackers, potato chips, cookies, etc. – Time 4 Order

Expert tips for Fridge Organization

First, take inventory. Condiments take up a lot of space, so avoid buying doubles which contribute to clutter. Store all your condiments in the doors as this is the warmest part of the refrigerator. Upper shelves should contain prepared foods, drinks, and ready-to-eat foods. Lower shelves should house raw ingredients. – Sorted

Tailor the organizing of your fridge to your specific needs. Food items you frequently access should be in the front of your refrigerator or in the door. Also, using pull-out plastic refrigerator bins allows easier access to items in the back of your refrigerator. – Shirley Collins, My Little Organizer

Once a week sort through items in your fridge and purge leftovers or expired food. This will open up space in your refrigerator for you to categorize and group together what remains. Creating a routine such as this will make meal planning and meal prep so much easier and more enjoyable. – Organized by Jenny

Organize your fridge with clear plastic bins. My bins include a place for condiments, dairy products, and meat. I also use a clear can organizer for sparkling water or soda and a clear egg organizing bin. I love that the whole family knows where to put things and everything is really easy to see. – Keto Karma

Clear bins allow you to see what you have. You can also pull the bins out to access what is in the back and the bins catch any spills or drips and make cleaning up easy. – K Hargrove Designs

Store cut-up vegetables like carrots and celery in water to maintain freshness for up to a week. You can cut them into sticks for easy snacking or chop them up small so you can cook with them in the future. A large mason jar works great for this. – Minimalista Organizing

Remember, not every vegetable or fruit needs to be stored in the fridge. This includes bananas, tomatoes, onions, and more. Knowing this saves more space in the fridge. – Tidylosophy

Organize on a shop day. There is no use organizing your fridge on a day it is empty, it will just become overrun again the first time you hit the store. Make sure you are organizing your fridge and setting up a system that works when it is fully stocked. – Rachel Rosenthal

Follow FIFO. This stands for “first in first out” to keep your food fresh and looking good to eat. – Quite Organized

Use a Lazy Susan for items that you use often, but are usually pushed to the back and lost. I do this with jelly because we have around 6 kinds, and of course, every kid (I have 8) wants something different. I also do this with pickles and olives. The lazy Susan also helps to catch any spills from the jars so cleanup is way easier than cleaning up a whole shelf. Plus, it is easy to pull the whole thing out and set it on the table. For example, for breakfast when you have all the jelly out together, or for burger night with the ketchup, mustard, etc. – Fabulessly Frugal

Have you ever had to reach an item in the back of your fridge, only to knock over everything else in front of it? A quick spin of a Lazy Susan results in easy access, and you won’t suffer from the “out of sight, out of mind syndrome” which results in buying multiples of what you already have on hand. – Organized By Lisa

To keep foods fresh in the refrigerator longer, it is always best to have a Lazy Susan with easy to reach options. If you are storing ready-to-eat foods, like Keto Chaffles, these are best stored in an airtight container on the top shelf so they are visible and easy to grab when you are on the go. – Low Carb Inspirations

Do a 5-minute reorganization of your fridge every time you unload groceries. Place any food that needs to be eaten first in front so it is easier to spot; don’t put that new container in front of the open one. Use pretty dishes, platters, and clear storage so you can easily see all of the food you plan to eat and prepare over the next few days. – Your Home Simplified

Make your grocery or trash day the time to discard expired and unused items. This will keep your fridge fresh and clean. – A Lifestyle Organizer

Adjust your fridge shelves to maximize your storage space based on your needs. This makes it so much easier to store and access items and frees up space for other essentials. – Chelsweets

Set up snack and lunch stations at a height that is easily accessible for little ones to reach. Keeping healthy items, such as carrots with ranch and premade guacamole make it simple to grab and go when you’re in a hurry. A little planning with intent makes a week well spent. – LESS Luxury Home Organization

Place fruits and veggies in brown paper bags and label them with the item name and the date purchased. This helps them stay fresh longer and does not let them fall through the cracks. It also forces me to self-moderate/manage the amount of stuff I have in the fridge. – The Spatial Guy

Make items in your fridge more visible and accessible. If your product is perishing before you have a chance to enjoy it, you may be losing track of what’s in your fridge due to a lack of visibility or accessibility. For deep fruit and vegetable drawers, try upcycling the bottoms of plastic salad containers – divide up different types of fruits and vegetables in these mini ‘bins’ then place them within your fruit and vegetable drawers. This method also works great for fine herbs, deli meat, and cheese – all of which can be stored vertically, so everything is visible and nothing is hiding underneath or behind anything else. – Tidy Concierge

Keep your fridge organized by creating zones for each type of food. Produce and cheese in their respective drawers, large beverages along with condiments and dressings should go in the doors, and leftovers should be kept on a shelf and preferably in stacking glass containers. You can group smaller items like jars and sauces into long, narrow plastic bins that sit on the shelves. – CW Home

Emily Huddleston

Emily is part of the content marketing team and enjoys writing about real estate trends and home improvement. Her dream home would be a charming Tudor-style house with large windows to let in lots of natural light.

The Spatial Guy helps organize homes, offices and, sometimes, lives

Fri, 05 Dec 2025 19:23:18 GMT

The Spatial Guy

“For as long as I can remember, I have been organizing,” says Jon Siegel, a.k.a. the Spatial Guy. Inspired by Elsie, his beloved childhood nanny, “I would organize our kitchen, pantry and closets just for fun. I went to friends’ houses and organized theirs on weekends.”

Later in life, people would often approach him while he was shopping and ask where to find merchandise. “I guess I was putting things back neatly,” he laughs.

Nowadays, he’s turned that skill into a career as a professional organizer, helping clients from Malibu to Whittier declutter and organize their homes and offices — and often their lives. He calls it “Creating an aesthetic yet functional space puts people at ease.”

Clients give Jon high marks for his naturally calm, caring demeanor, and he's earned respect from his peers too, serving on the board of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals.

“Since each client is unique, I don't believe one method works for everyone,” he says. “It is my job to be my clients’ personal trainer and coach and help them learn how to live a lifestyle that works for them.”

Take one client so concerned with emergency preparedness that her garage overflowed with food and supplies, alongside everything from family heirlooms and long-outdated documents from her retired husband’s business to a random bicycle given to her by a neighbor. “We had to make walkways just to get through decades' worth of stuff,” Jon recalls.

But when they finished, he says, “It looked like everything belonged where it should. We joked that it was like setting up a grocery store, one section for tin foil and Tupperware, another for beans…”

For other clients, blocks to a less cluttered life can be as much mental as material.

One recent client came to him “ready to clear her space and her mind of clutter,” he says. Through discussions with Jon, she came to see the clutter in her home as representing emotional baggage from her parents. After that breakthrough, “she was ready to clear her space, start fresh and reinvent herself.” “Connecting those two things is what I do,” he reflects. “It’s kind of like therapy.”

Jon says these “light bulb moments” motivate him. Through decluttering and creating a calmer space, he says, “clients feel a sense of accomplishment and have that weight taken off their backs.”

Jon had his own light bulb moment about 5 years ago. The Denver native had moved to LA in the mid-2000s with a bachelor’s degree in retailing and consumer sciences from the University of Arizona, to pursue a degree at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising and a career in advertising.

That kept him going until 2017, when he suddenly found himself unemployed just when his wife, Danielle, was expecting their first child. “I decided to refocus my talents on what I have always loved most — organizing — and have been doing it professionally since,” he says. As his business has grown, so has his family. Jon and Danielle have since been joined by son Asher and daughter Stella, alongside the family’s poodle mix, named Elsie of course.

And what of life at home as a professional organizer? “When Danielle and I met,” he recalls, “she’d walk into a room and drop everything, and I’d pick it back up and find a place to put it. But over the years we’ve come to a middle ground, and sometimes she’s now the one that points things out to me!”

If it worked for her, perhaps it can work for you too.