I Tried the “Magic Basket” Organizing Trick, and Now I’m Never Going Back

I’d like to think I’m pretty tidy, and I am — sometimes. But when I’m not, I’m really, really not. While perusing the internet for a decluttering hack I haven’t actually heard of or tried yet, I came across the “magic basket” organizing trick, which is recommended by various experts.

The idea is that every night, you corral all of the day’s clutter into a designated basket. In the morning, or whenever you have some free time, you put it all back where it’s supposed to go. This appealed to me because as a single mom, I tend to really lose steam at night, but I’m also someone who’s heavily influenced by my surroundings. (When my house is a mess, so am I!) So I decided to give it a try — and spoiler alert: I’m obsessed!

For a week I tested the technique with a basket in my entryway. Here’s my takeaways on why it really worked for me.

As someone who prefers to wake up early and crash after my daughter falls asleep, I’ve always despised tidying before bed. I never have the energy and end up forcing myself, which just makes everything more stressful. The magic basket trick is different because I’m just corralling everything out of place into one spot. At most, it takes five minutes, and there’s no thought required.

Coming downstairs in the morning without worrying about what toy I’m going to step on is my new favorite feeling. It doesn’t take a lot of clutter for me to feel overwhelmed, so waking up to a tidy house starts my day off on the best note. I feel like I have my life together, which definitely benefits my daughter as well. With neither of us overstimulated by mess, getting ready for school is infinitely more peaceful.

By the end of the day, my daughter is just as wiped out as I am, and asking her to turn her brain back on to put all of her toys away isn’t necessarily realistic right now. Instead, this trick is more like her last game before bathtime — how long does it take to throw all of her mess into the basket? Can she beat yesterday’s record? There’s only one way to find out. 

I’m thinking about creating two magic baskets: one for myself and another for her, situated in her playroom. When I’m cleaning out the basket every morning, I can’t resist emptying it out and putting everything back where it belongs. She’s old enough that she should really be responsible for the full lifecycle of her mess, instead of just the easier (and shorter) part.

I was shocked by how quickly this trick was integrated into our routine. It’s so simple that once we started, there was no distraction or lack of motivation to keep us from continuing. My daughter and I also wanted to keep doing it because there was no downside. In total, the method took at most 10 minutes a day.

Some people can throw their magic basket into a closet, but I’m not one of those people — I benefit from the visual reminder. My entry is in the middle of the ground floor, and by keeping the basket there, I also walk past it right before and after school dropoff. This is ideal because I like to unload it in the morning when she’s gone.

Instead of contending with a week’s worth of piles all over the house at a time, which is what I used to do, I just have to worry about this one pile after school dropoff. As a result, I feel less scatterbrained and can actually pay attention to what’s in the basket. I’m not as tempted to shove things in random drawers or closets, and when I am, I’ve noticed it’s because the items just need to be donated or thrown away.