On certain days, an organized home seems more like a dream than reality. With the busy lives we lead, tidying up sounds tiresome.

Fortunately, there are easy ways you can establish and maintain order around your house. Here are five simple steps you can take for a more organized home.

Find multipurpose furniture

What if your coffee table opened up, giving you a place to store books, remotes and magazines? What if your side tables had a convenient spot to hold spare blankets and pillows? We’re obsessed with multipurpose furniture because it frees up so much space in your home. Find a few pieces that work for you and watch rooms go from overwhelming to organized.

Create a chart for chores

Whether you are rooming with a few friends or have a huge family, we absolutely love chore charts. They give everyone a role in keeping the home neat and tidy, preventing any one person from being overworked. When the entire household works together, it’s a lot more likely everything will remain in order.

Use your walls well

You can save serious floor space if you use your walls efficiently. Shelving units, wall hooks, you name it! When you discover pieces to keep your floor free of clutter, you’ll feel more organized.

Clean a little bit at a time

Clutter is natural. Shoes get left in the living room. Mail piles up. Blankets are thrown over chairs or the couch. After all, spaces are made to be lived in.

However, you can keep things from becoming chaotic by tidying up a little bit at a time. When you start to sense disorder, take a few minutes to put items back in their proper places. By addressing clutter early, you’ll prevent major cleaning from becoming a regular occurrence.

Pick a place for all your things

It’s much easier to keep your house organized when everything has a specific place to call home. Assign dirty laundry to designated bins. Use desk organizers to sort pencils and pens. Pick specific cabinets or drawers to store everyday essentials. You can also save yourself serious time and stress if you know exactly where your belongings are. You’ll never wonder where your keys or wallet are when you need to rush out the door.

What do you do to stay organized? Tag us @kirklands with your best advice.