I once lived with a partner who wanted everything put away immediately. The moment something was left out, it bothered him. I, on the other hand, work in a way that involves things being out if I’m going to need them again very soon, because it feels inefficient to put them away when you’ll pick them up the next day. Neither of us was wrong. We just had completely different levels of tidiness!
So I came up with a solution.
The basket.
We found a basket and gave it a permanent home on the landing — a central spot that worked for both of us. The rule was simple: if he found something left out that bothered him, he could put it in the basket. It didn’t have to go back in its proper place immediately, it just had to be contained. And crucially, I always knew where to find things — because if it wasn’t where I’d left it, it was in the basket.
It sounds almost too simple. But it genuinely worked. He felt tidy. I could still function. Nobody was frustrated.
It works whether you live with someone or on your own.
The basket principle is just as useful if you live alone. Rather than making multiple trips around the house putting things away throughout the day, you gather everything into the basket as you go — and then do one single lap to return things to their proper homes when it suits you.
It also works brilliantly for stairs. A basket that lives at the bottom (or the top) catches everything that needs to travel in the other direction, so nothing gets left on the steps and nothing gets forgotten.
The key is giving it a proper home.
The basket only works if it has a fixed spot — somewhere central and accessible. It shouldn’t be hidden away, and it shouldn’t be so large that it becomes a dumping ground for things that never leave it. A simple, medium-sized basket in a visible spot is all you need.
Sometimes the best organising solutions are the simplest ones. If tidiness is a source of tension at home — with a partner, a family member, or even just with yourself — a basket might be the most useful thing you add to your house this year.