From Chaos to Calm: Why Organizing Strategy Comes Before Bins

When it comes to home organization, most of us start with the fun part, the bins, labels, and rearranging. It feels productive, and we crave that quick hit of visual progress. But the truth is, if you start with logistics before strategy, you’ll probably end up reorganizing again in six months.

At Reset Your Nest, we’ve learned that lasting calm comes when you start with strategy, a clear understanding of your space, your habits, and your goals, and then move into the tactics and logistics that bring that vision to life. Here’s what that looks like (and how you can try it at home).

Why Organizing Strategy Comes First

Step 1: Start with Strategy

Strategy is about intention. It’s asking:

• What’s not working in my space and why?

• How do I want to feel when I walk into this room?

• What routines or pain points are keeping me from feeling calm?

When you start with those questions, organization stops being about perfection and starts being about peace of mind.

✨ Try this experiment:

Before you touch a single drawer, pick one room or zone and simply observe it for a few days. Notice where clutter piles up, what items you reach for often, and what never gets used. Write down your observations, this is your strategy blueprint.

Step 2: Choose Tactics That Fit You

Once you have clarity, it’s time to design systems that align with your personality, not Pinterest.

• If you’re visual, make things visible, open bins, glass jars, and labeled baskets.

• If you’re out of sight, out of mind, avoid hiding things behind closed doors.

• If you crave simplicity, skip the micro-categories and focus on broad, easy drop zones.

Good tactics honor your habits instead of fighting them.

✨ Try this experiment:

Pay attention to how you naturally tidy up when you’re in a hurry. Do you toss things in a pile? Do you line them up neatly? Your instincts reveal how your systems should be built.

Step 3: Finish with Logistics

Now (and only now) it’s time for the containers, labels, and product sourcing. Logistics bring your strategy and tactics to life.

This is where the magic happens: the bins finally make sense because they’re chosen for a purpose, not just for a pretty photo.

✨ Try this experiment:

Instead of buying products first, organize your items into temporary boxes or baskets you already own. Live with your new system for a week. Does it feel easy? Are you maintaining it? Once you’ve tested it, then invest in the beautiful pieces that elevate your space.

Organization isn’t about perfection, it’s about creating a home that supports your life. Start with strategy, choose tactics that align with who you are, and finish with logistics that make your systems functional and beautiful. That’s how you move from chaos to calm, from reactive tidying to intentional living. Once you've done all of that, THEN you can move on to buying all the beautiful organizing products!

Jen is the founder of Reset Your Nest, a Professional Home Organizing Business in Utah (servicing Salt Lake City, Park City, Ogden, Alpine, Highland, Mapleton, and St. George). She loves creating order and systems out of chaos and is known for bringing a beautiful aesthetic as well as easy to maintain function to any space. She shares her tips and tricks on Instagram @reset_your_nest.