Hiring a professional organizer isn’t always in the budget.  There are plenty of organizing books out there that will help you get organized without the price tag of a professional.  Many of these organizing books are beautiful written with images that show you how you can get organized.  Here are the best organizing books that will get you organized.

The Home Edit

This book is from the organizing queens Joanna and Clea.  They have revolutionized organizing and made it cool.

What I absolutely love about them is their effortless style to organize any space. Anyone can literally get organized like them.

These were some of my favorite tips from their book:

• Organizing books by color

Keep books displayed by color ROYGBIV (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet) style.  I first saw this from them years ago on their Instagram and fell in love with it immediately.  It was one of those “why didn’t I think of this sooner moments?”  It’s so appealing and easy to do because it’s free.

• Opaque bins for mismatched items

Consistency is key when it comes to getting organized and there are many times when items don’t match.  The best way to deal with them is by putting them in a solid bin.  It hides the disorganization and gives you a tidy look.

• Use organizers for deep shelving

For tough to reach shelving, use organizers to maximize the space.  Treat it as a shelf that rolls out by using organizers, it makes it easier to reach those tough areas.

• Consistency is key

Using matching bins makes everything look neat and orderly.  It diminishes the look of clutter.   This is a mistake I made for many years and would’ve saved myself a lot of purchases had I been matching items.

• Space out containers

This will take your organized space to the next level.  It makes the area look neater and less cluttered.

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

If you haven’t heard of Marie Kondo, you definitely must be living under a rock, seriously.  Her popular Netflix series blew up the organizing world at the beginning of the year, you are still hearing about it.

She wrote this book a few years ago and it’s an excellent place to start if you struggle with decluttering.

Her tips are basic and to the point.  If you follow her book, you’ll be able to get rid of the stuff you’ve been hanging onto for years without any guilt.

She does come from a different culture where the homes are not traditional in American so not everything she teaches applies.  For example, seasonal clothing.  She says there really isn’t a need for seasonal clothing.  I actually tried this and it didn’t work.

There are quite a few places in the United States where there are four seasons.  It doesn’t make any sense to keep winter boots out in the summer and flip-flops out in the winter.

These were some of my favorite tips from her book:

• Keep things that only bring you joy

At first, I wasn’t in love with this concept, it was awkward when I first started doing it.  After practicing it, it really is effective.  What this book effectively teaches you is gratitude.  Being thankful for what you having and mindful of what you are keeping.  If you’re not keeping things that bring you joy, you are creating a more stressful environment.

• Store clothes vertically

This technique was something I wish I’d figured out years ago.  When you store your clothes vertically you are able to see everything.

Beautifully Organized

This organizing book is from Niki Boyd from At Home With Niki.  I actually had never heard of her until I found this book and it’s gorgeous.  It’s beautifully written with aesthetically appealing photos.  This book is coffee table material.  It’s luxurious and teaches you how to make your home be that way.

These were some of my favorite tips from her book:

• Organizing paper in binders

Paper is one of the most challenging things for people to organize.  There’s endless amounts of it and it can be hard to find a system that works well.  I’ve organized paper for many years in a file cabinet and it worked out well.  When we moved, we got rid of the file cabinet and needed a new set-up which was using a file accordion organizer.

The file accordion organizer became tedious because it wasn’t easy looking for papers.  We would have to take out the entire stack that was in the slot to find what we needed.

After reading this book, I decided to organize all of our papers with binders and it’s been amazing.  They are easy to access, making life much simpler.  We are using Avery Tab pocket folders which lets us sort through the papers to find what we need instead of taking out the entire stack.

• Guest bedroom in a bag

Loved this organizing tip.  Keeping all of your guest bedroom items stored in a bag so it’s ready to go when guests come to visit. We’ve all been there when we’re rushing around the house to get the guest room ready, it’s stressful.  Having a bag ready to go, makes it easy to get your home ready.

• Kids fort kit

This was a cool tip.  All kids love to build forts.  They are usually getting out all sorts of items around the house which can be annoying.  Creating a kit for them makes it easy for them to create it and CLEAN it up.  Win, win for everyone.

The Complete Book of Home

Tony Hammerly’s organizing book can get your entire home organized start to finish with immaculate attention to detail.  If you love the farmhouse style, this book is for you.

These were some of my favorite tips from her book:

• Memory bin categories

A few years ago, I saw a memory bin kit to help keep kids art projects and schoolwork organized.  I created a bin for all three of our kids.  What I liked about this tip was the categories she created.  She had separate categories for report cards, awards, school, and sports which I didn’t have.  I added these categories and it’s been much easier to file away paper.

• Creating zones in your kitchen

This tip was something I’d never given much thought to.  I’d always organize items making them accessible.  This technique really made me think about the flow of our kitchen and the importance of making it function well.

Conclusion

All of these organizing books are amazing.  There is something that can be learned from every single one.  Have you read any of these organizing books?  If so, which one?  Share your thoughts in the comments!