PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Lots of us make New Year’s resolutions to lose weight, save more, get the taxes done before the last minute and some of us even pledge to finally get organized.

Some help from Angie’s List report can help you actually keep that last one.

In Tomisa Staggs’ kitchen you can find just about anything you need to prepare a meal. But, getting to the appliances or ingredients is another story.

“I had it in the back of the corner behind the refrigerator and every time I needed to use it, I had to go dig somewhere or I couldn’t find it,” Staggs said.

“I think all of us can admit to having some area of their house that is a little more cluttered than it should be, but the key here is finding out whether you can fix it yourself or whether you need to hire someone and what are the steps to get it resolved,” Angie Hicks from Angie’s List said.

Professional organizers said the most disorganized areas of the home are bedrooms, closets, and garages. Paper was the biggest contributor to the clutter.

So be sure to throw away junk mail as soon as it comes in. Also, organize bills by the order they are due and establish one place to store the important documents.

If you find you need professional help, ask around for references.

“The goal is not to just have someone come in and throw out your stuff without you even having any input. This is really them helping you get your life more organized not just them cleaning out your house,” Hicks said.

In many cases, organizers can use what storage you already have.

“We can organize what is in the garage with a clean out and just utilize the storage that was already there. Or if they would like to have the garage reorganized completely, we’ll have a new system installed and help design the storage system and get it installed for them,” professional organizer Carrie Bell said.

The help Staggs got from a professional put her on the right track to a more organized life.

“If you can save some steps, I mean, those steps add up to minutes which add up to hours which add up to more time you can spend with your family,” Staggs said.

Here’s one last tip.

If you can’t decide what to purge and what to keep in your closet, face all your hangers in the same direction.

Once you wear an item and return it to your closet, turn the hanger in the opposite direction.

At the end of the season, get rid of any clothing where the hanger is still facing the original way.

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