A super-easy plan for getting organized without adding to your home-is-school, home-is-work, home-is-everything time burden.

Did you ever notice that your self-improvement pacts with yourself are action oriented? Walk 10,000 steps a day. Fix that leaky faucet. Register for VolunteerMatch.

But "get organized"? It's a goal so broad that just trying to figure out what action to take makes you wonder what you were thinking in the first place. It's like you need an organizing plan for your organizing.

Ta-da!

Here it is. Follow these steps, spending less than an hour day (sometimes just a few moments), to a better organized home:

"What about your space is making you feel uncomfortable or overwhelmed?" asks Amy Trager, a professional organizer in Chicago. Is it the paperwork disaster in your office? The pile of clothes teetering on your dresser? Or that mess that surrounds your doorway? Start with what's annoying you, she says. One hour on that task will get your organizing engine revving.

Put anything you're planning to donate in it (or give to a friend, or take to recycle). And keep it by the door so you can easily grab it when you're leaving.

Hallelujah — the holidays are over! When you're putting away your décor, donate anything you didn't bring out last season, and separate decorations by holiday. No need to dig through your St. Paddy's clovers when you're searching for a menorah.

Set up a "command center" so your front door doesn't become a lawless accessories arena, especially during winter months. Add hooks for coats, bins for shoes, and a mail sorter if you need it. (Remember to keep a place for your "go away" box.)

Minimize the time spent scrambling when your pup is desperate for a walk or eager for a meal. Hang hooks and cubbies near the door and keep leashes, kibble, bowls, and toys in one convenient spot.

Arrange your herbs and spices alphabetically, by cuisine, or by brand — whatever makes them easier to find when you're in the middle of your noodle stir fry.

You've accumulated several dozen kitchen utensils in your culinary career: can openers, microplanes, four (what?!) wine openers. Pare down the collection and use drawer dividers to keep the remainder in order.

Stop digging around in your shelves for the oversized, cast-iron skillet. Donate the pots and pans you hardly use and install cupboard organizers to help manage the rest.

You never use Worcestershire sauce — except that one time. Go through your refrigerator and pantry and ditch or donate anything past its prime.

Make better use of your pantry by sorting through your staple dry goods — think flour, sugar, pasta, oatmeal, dry beans — and put them in airtight, stackable containers. You'll free up a ton of space, too.

You had noble intentions when you purchased that spiralizer. (Zucchini noodles every night, right?) Give those space hogs to someone else with lofty dreams.

Every time you lose a sock, a new coffee mug appears. Keep one or two mugs for every coffee or tea drinker, and donate the rest.

No singles allowed. Toss any tops or bottoms that have no mates.

Shelves crammed with knickknacks, books you'll never read, and stuff you somehow accumulated are just a waste of space. Donate books to the library, discard the junk, and arrange what's left in a way that pleases you.

With a Roku, PlayStation, a DVD player, and a cable box, it's no surprise your entertainment center is a mess. Create ID tags for each plug from bread tags or cable ties, and bundle the clutter together with Velcro strips.

Switch your clothes over to the slimmer, grabbier hangers. They use less space and keep your clothes from sliding down to your closet floor. As you do this, discard the clothes you never wear.

Belts, scarves, purses, hats — all the accessories that don't have a drawer or spot in the closet can end up everywhere. Buy an accessories hanger or install a simple series of hooks to give your wardrobe's smallest members a home.

Under-bed storage is ideal for out-of-season clothing. But when out-of-season becomes out-of-sight and out-of-mind, clear out those clothes you'll never wear again from this precious storage space.

When your workspace is swimming with collectibles, staplers, Post-its, and more, paring down can keep you focused when it's time to hunker down.

Not every form, statement, and tax record needs to stay in your filing cabinet forever. Check out this list to make sure you're not wasting space. Shred the rest to ward off identity thieves.

Now that you've shredded the paperwork you don't need, tidy up your files by organizing them and labeling them clearly. Colorful folders can help organize by theme (home stuff, tax stuff, work stuff, etc.).

Admit it. You've got a drawer where black mystery cords, chargers, and oddball electronic bits go to die. Free that drawer up for better uses, or at least get rid of the ones you know for sure are "dead."

Your intentions were honorable when you bought that curl-enhancing shampoo — but it expired two years ago, and you haven't used it since. Throw away any expired potions, salves, hair products, and medicines.

Clean everything out. You'll be amazed at what you find (like those Magic Erasers you could never find). Then put back everything you're keeping in bins you can easily pull out so nothing gets lost again.

Wall storage is so often overlooked. Find a spot in your home where a shelf would solve a problem, and hang it. Maybe it's for some toiletries in the bathroom, or laundry supplies, or for your kid's stuffed toys.

Related: Yep, You Can Put Shelves There: 5 Inspired Storage Ideas

There are the towels you use — and the stack of towels you never use. Donate them to the animal shelter. Those torn pillowcases? Convert to rags or toss. Same for napkins, dishtowels, pot holders, etc.

Hanging shoe organizers can solve a ton of storage problems beyond the obvious. They can store scarves, mittens, cleaning supplies, craft supplies. You can even cut them to custom-fit inside a cabinet door.

Related: Ideas for Using Shoe Organizers

There's no shame in a junk drawer — but why not organize it? Dump the whole thing on one surface and sort everything into piles. Use drawer dividers to keep each pile in its own space.

Finding the right Phillips-head screwdriver to put together that cute IKEA bookshelf shouldn't be so hard. Track down your hammers and screwdrivers, and arrange them in one easy-to-access spot, such as a pegboard.

See how much you've accomplished! Take a look around your newly organized home, making note of any spaces you missed. Then dream a bit about your next home project. Maybe paint that dining room, finally?

Jamie Wiebeis a writer and editor with a focus on home improvement and design. Previously, she worked as a web editor for "House Beautiful," "ELLE Decor," and "Veranda."