If there's anything worse than organizing your home, it's organizing your home right before you go to bed. And yet, trying to drift off knowing that you need to tidy your space the moment you wake up isn't much fun, either. Well, what if there was a solution that met somewhere in the middle?
For the vast majority of us, our home is barely recognizable at the end of the day. Paperwork piling up on the desk, clothes strewn over the sofa, and shoes scattered across the floor are all common sights before we hit the hay. Finding the time to relax and unwind while also staying on top of such disarray is no mean feat. In most cases, the only thing that spurs us into action is the thought of having to deal with it when we wake up.
If you want to go to bed with peace of mind that your home, at the very least, looks tidy, but with minimal effort involved, then you'll want to know about the "magic basket" technique. It's an easy home organization idea that lets you "cheat" a tidy space until you have the mental capacity to deal with your daily clutter properly, and if you're prone to running through to-do lists when your head hits the pillow, it might just be the answer to better sleep, too.
What is the "magic basket" organizing trick?
The "magic basket" was coined by home content creator, Britt Fisher. "I created the magic basket after feeling like I was constantly battling with kid clutter in our main living area, resulting in many late evenings after bed trying to return things to their proper homes," she explains. "As a homeschool mama of four, we live and work and play and school in our home all day long, so creating a peaceful space and rhythms is so important!"
The technique simply involves putting all the stuff that's accumulated throughout the day into a stylish basket so it's out of sight, ready to be returned to its rightful place the next day. Britt says this easy two to three-minute routine has saved her sanity as a parent since most of the unsightly chaos that results from her kids' toys. At the end of every evening, all she has to do is a quick walk through her main living spaces and put all the clutter into the basket. "In a matter of a few minutes, my space feels peaceful again," Britt explains.
In a world saturated with home organization trends, this simple approach to organizing takes things back to basics. But what's the magic part, we hear you cry? Well, in Britt's household, it's her kids' responsibility to empty the basket the following. They have to take the stuff out of the basket and tidy it away the next day, otherwise it “magically” disappears.
"Not only has this rhythm infused peace into our evenings as parents, but it has helped my children learn valuable character skills," Britt says. "They’re taking ownership and practicing responsibility and stewardship for their things, and have become more diligent to put things away when they’re done with them." Kids or no kids, we think these firm boundaries are a great way to hold down some discipline and ensure everyone pitches in on tidying and organizing the home.
California-based organizer Melissa Gugni agrees. She says a central location for everyone in the home to deposit bits and pieces that need tidying away will make sure everyone is on the same page regarding house rules. That said, she does have some guidance on the best storage baskets to use, however.
"I know that the lid can be good for curbing visual clutter but I find that clients who would benefit the most from this concept don't do as well with closed storage," she says. "It is just too 'out of sight, out of mind' to be useful. I prefer an opened-top basket or bin that is easy to carry around and distribute the contents from. Getting in the habit of using it regularly is key - if it is left languishing for too long and getting full and forgotten, it might be time to try another tidying tactic."
Shop Storage Baskets
Where does the "magic basket" organizing trick work best?
If organizing the living room is your pet peeve at the end of the day, this is a great room to start with. Britt uses her magic basket to corral bits and pieces from across her main living space, including the living room, kitchen, and dining room, since these are the areas of the home that tend to become most disorganized during the course of the day. If you want to enforce this room in your home, using a large basket for your entire main floor makes the most sense.
"The method creates a structured way to handle clutter without the stress of immediate organization," says Di Ter Avest, owner of Di is Organized. She recommends using the idea in an entryway in place of a catch-all, as she did in a recent project. "We designated one small basket per family member and used it throughout the day to toss items that belonged to that person in it," she says. "Once it is full, the idea is that they will put the items away."
With that in mind, you could adapt the idea and introduce a magic basket in every room where it feels necessary. Perhaps you work from home and your home office is in disarray every time you finish work, or maybe your kids' playroom needs a large trunk to hide stuff away until it can be sorted properly. The beauty of this organizing trick is how adaptable it is for different scenarios.
If you really want to make efforts to disguise the clutter, storage ottomans are a great choice for living rooms. You can even use large ottomans like this one from Wayfair to store more common "on sight" items like your throw blankets, magazines, and even the TV remote if you prefer a streamlined, minimalist look that's akin to a staged home. (Just make sure everyone else knows where they are!)
Are there any disadvantages of the "magic basket" trick?
While a helpful technique to help you stay on top of a tidy home, be careful you don't slip into bad habits with this organizing trick. It's easy to feel too self-assured by "the out of sight, out of mind" mindset with this magic basket idea, but just remember to view the basket as a tool rather than a permanent storage solution.
Make sure you're dedicated, too. "Don't use the basket as a dumping ground to put all the things you don't want to deal with at the moment or at the end of the day or to shovel things in when company is coming," urges Di. Unless you stick to the rules, you'll just have a basket of clutter in the corner of your room that will be even harder to deal with when the time comes. Not only are you bound to forget about something important, but it will send the wrong message to your kids if they're using it, too.
The bottom line? If you're someone who takes pride in a tidy home but values a peaceful night's rest, this trick could be a game-changer to your bedtime routine (especially if you have young children). However you decide to implement this trick, just make sure it serves you and the other members of the home in a productive way, rather than becoming just another hidden storage idea for clutter to collect.
