“Docking stations are great if you have room, but sometimes the unit takes up more space than people have available,” says Ecker. To keep track of all of your gadgets, opt for a smaller product like GRID-IT ($24.99; cocooninnovations.com), a woven elastic panel that organizes accessories on your desktop or on-the-go in your suitcase.

It's important to start with a functional landing strip—a place where things get dumped when you get home. Think about the tools you can use to stop the mail, keys and shoes from building up. If you tend to let the pile grow for more than a couple of days, one option is to designate clutter to a larger basket—and off the kitchen table—until you can redistribute it.

For important old tax returns, bills, and leases, do an inventory and store it on your computer before stowing the files away. The next time you need to find something, you'll save yourself time rummaging through boxes.

“Mail is the biggest offender in building a pile,” Ecker says. The piles will happen, but you can keep control of them by choosing a small, clear box like the Desktop Mail Center by U.S. Acrylic ($22.49, organize.com). It will force you to deal with mail regularly—especially time-sensitive items like the check that needs to be deposited or the bill that needs to be paid.

For people who hold onto magazines for months, Ecker suggests committing to a certain number of containers and purging them when they’re full. Try the Bright Stockholm Magazine File ($7.99, containerstore.com).

Don’t rely on your bank to keep track of your banking statements; every establishment has its own policy for how long to keep records. Once every six months, download your most up-to-date statements as PDFs and place them in a folder, labeled by year. Ecker suggests using month numbers and years to view folders chronologically.

“The trick to a successful calendar is that everyone in your household commits 100 percent to using it ,” says Ecker. “The minute someone stops writing things down, no one trusts it.” If you forget when the calendar is on your fridge, try the front door.

Don't try to trick yourself into exercising by placing important drawers and papers across the room. Efficiency in the office means more free time outside of it, so keep everything you need within arms reach.

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