Give things a home

“Clutter is caused by a failure to return things to where they belong,” shares Kondo. To avoid this, assign all of your possessions a place where they will be kept when you aren’t using them—even things you use daily, like your handbag or glasses. “You only need to designate a spot for every item once,” says Kondo. “No longer will you buy more than you need, and no longer will your things continue to accumulate.”