Assessing your things, organizing your space and an overall clean will make your home seem new again and help set the tone for an organized lifestyle. Here are four steps that will help you get your house cleaned and organized.

1. Don't Set Yourself Up for Failure
Sometimes the best spring cleaners can be overzealous and think they can attack the house in one day and be done with it. Biting off more than you can chew can lead to frustration, burnout and scrapping the project altogether. Dedicate a few hours each evening, or a few hours over the weekend for cleaning. By working through your home bit by bit, you will be more successful at an overall clean over the course of a few weeks.

2. Clean One Area at a Time
Don't try to clear out everything in a whirlwind. Start in one area, say the dresser, work through it, and then move on. If you get started pulling out items from everywhere and cleaning with no plan, you can actually make more of a mess than when you started! An overall assessment to make sure items are where they should be to get started is okay, but otherwise try to focus on one area at a time.

3. Ask for Help
If you have a friend or family member that is an organization guru or just owes you a favor, ask them to help you as sometimes it is good to have a fresh pair of eyes to review your things. There might be items that you are holding on to that someone can honestly tell you need to go. If you are lacking motivation, having a set time that you have a helper can keep you on task and make you follow through with cleaning.

4. Have a Staging Area for Unwanted Items
A major point of cleaning and organizing is to get rid of things you no longer need. Rather than just hiding these items in the back of your closet, make sure that you have a functional system in place to store these items while cleaning. Set up boxes and bags in a designated spot, so as you move through the home, you can toss in items that you will be getting rid of. This way you'll be ready to toss out or donate things at the end of your project rather than hold on to items you don't really need.