Overwhelmed with the Clutter!!!

I have reached a breaking point with the clutter in our home.  As opposed to freaking out, running around trying to fix every area at once, and then causing even more piles and stress......I have decided to take care of this the "right" way!!!! ONE STEP AT A TIME!

First I will evaluate the areas in my home where the organizational systems work well. These are places that stay pretty tidy or can easily get to that point with just a little work. This took some deep thinking because right now all I can think about is chaos and the areas that need fixed!!!
1. The shoe station.
Why it works: It's easy to toss shoes into the bins. Plain and simple, I know that's why it works!

2. The kitchen.
Why it works: We have tons of cabinets, a place for everything, so it's fairly easy to maintain.
Of course the kids bring in toys onto the countertops. And I'm a terribly messy cook, so after a meal it's an absolute disaster area.  But in about 20 minutes, I can have it tidied up, wiped down, and ready for the next mess;)

3. The linen closet.
Why it works: It's so simplified. It's only for certain designated items. The kids don't open it very often!!! This closet always stays tidy.
The top shelves are for medicine (as shown in the blog post). The bins are just as organized today as when I set them up a year and a half ago! The lower shelves are towels and washcloths. And on the floor, I have a bin with some window sheers, heating pad, and a few misc. items.  Our former house had a large linen closet and I always had it packed to the brim with blankets and candles and other stuff that I eventually just donated.  I was disappointed when I saw the size of our linen closet in this house until I realized that it's the perfect size if I use it only for its purpose!!!

OH DEAR....only 3 areas!!!! Yikes, you can see why I'm freaking out!!!
But this helped me see the common theme of why the systems work well. They're simple.  Everything has a place that is accessible. I'm always moving at 100 mph, so I need to be able to put things away quickly.

And now for the major areas that are really causing me stress:
1. The Home Office
2. The Pantry
3. The Laundry Room
4. Laundry (putting it away)
5. The Basement Toy Area and Storage Area

My first project will be the Home Office.  I completed a large portion of it last week, but still have one area to finish. Stay tuned as I {attempt to} tackle the chaos, paint, purge, organize and prettify. :)