A big part of getting organized is learning how to maximize your space. Many times we use whatever shelves or storage products we have lying around when we attempt to get organized. Or we don’t put much thought into what type of shelves or storage products would be best for the space before dashing out and grabbing whatever looks cute. It is critical to your organizing success that you take the time to really think through the appropriate storage products before you invest in them – or they just end up adding to your clutter.

As you can see in the accompanying picture, this storage shelf is not the appropriate sized shelf to maximize the storage space in this closet. Can you see where I’ve marked all of that wasted space in front of the shelf? That’s lost storage space. Even turning the shelf sideways along the far left wall would have been a better decision for maximizing the space.

When considering what type of storage containers, shelves and products you should use, you’ll want to be sure to make use of as much of your space as possible. In the picture example, a shelf with at least twice the depth could have been used. That would have doubled the storage space just in this one area alone.