Have you noticed that when things are in order at home it’s easier to stay on a healthy diet track? You’re not alone. Geralin Thomas, owner of Metropolitan Organizing in Cary, North Carolina, finds that clients who hire her to help them organize everything from home offices to kitchens sometimes find that they lose pounds along with the clutter.

Val Zipf hired Thomas to help her attack the mounds of paper that had accumulated at home, but found that Thomas’ techniques helped with more than her paper piles. Together, the two women created a healthier lifestyle for Zipf, and she fully engaged in a weight loss plan that included Weight Watchers, exercise and, of course, the tricks she learned from Thomas. Today, she’s down 75 pounds and just 20 away from her goal.

Kathy Joyner hired Thomas after her daughter was born and the stuff in her home seemed to multiply exponentially. When she noticed that Thomas’ techniques were also helping her lose weight, Joyner became more deliberate about dropping pounds. Now, she uses all sorts of organizational trappings — a pedometer, as well as workout and food plans and diaries — to help her slim down. Joyner is currently 30 pounds lighter than she was when she started working with Thomas.

Here, Thomas, Zipf and Joyner share the tricks that do double duty for them with both clutter and weight loss.

Weight-Loss Tip 1: Prepare yourself and your environment.

Thomas’ Word: Succeeding at organizing and weight loss is about being very purposeful and having a plan and place for everything. Thomas has her clients use baskets for items that need an easy-to-access home — like receipts to be logged in a checkbook or school papers to be signed and returned — and calendars to plan for everything from picking up the dry cleaning to working out. Writing down everything that has to be done (not just formal appointments with other people) helps you keep better track of incorporating into your life the tasks that you value (like a workout) but would likely let slide when things get busy.

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Zipf’s World: “On Sunday, I write down everything that needs to be done for the week and what needs to be done the next day. I sit down with my husband and discuss the kids’ schedules and meals. I also plan my exercise, working it around other activities so there is no impact on my ability to do it.”

Your Takeaway: Create a detailed plan of attack to help keep you on course. Organize your home so that everything has a place, and plan your life so that you can give time to the most important things (like healthy eating and exercise). Take the time to think through, plan and prep your meals for a week. Zipf says, “We avoid the drive-through. If we’re going to have food on the go, it’s because we planned to have food on the go, and I put together a sandwich.” Knowing how you’re going to fit in your workouts keeps you from making lame excuses to get out of them. And a packed gym bag gives you one less step to worry about early in the morning. Now you’re organized for success.

Weight-Loss Tip 2: Reconsider, reduce and restrain.

Thomas’ Word: “Reconsider, reduce and restrain” are the keys to Thomas’ organizational mantra. If you’re about to pick up a set of discounted coffee mugs at Target, stop first and think about the purchase. Do you really need them, or do you just want them? Can you do without them? If not, what will you get rid of at home to make room for the mugs? Thomas believes this mantra works with both clutter and weight. “I say, ‘Let’s start with anything incoming’ — whether it’s food or appointments on their calendar. If you add something, something else has to go.” Want the cupcake? Do you have to have it? What choices can you make later to make up for the splurge: walking an hour in the afternoon or forgoing the bread basket at dinner? Deliberately reconsidering, reducing and restraining takes the impulsivity out of your choices, which generally makes them healthier.

Zipf’s World: With Thomas’ mantra, Zipf realized that she hadn’t always been mindful. She would think, I deserve some chocolate, and buy several bags of it. A stocked pantry gave her infinite options for satisfying her cravings. Learning to reconsider her choices at every turn has been a revelation for Zipf, who found that by taking a moment to consider whether or not she needs something, she can more easily control her impulses and reduce her caloric intake.

Your Takeaway: Simply being mindful about what you’re about to put into your mouth will help you cut back on extra food and slim down. Craving an ice cream cone while you’re out running errands? Reconsider the choice by thinking through what other treats you have had lately. If you can’t restrain yourself, think about splitting a cup or cone with your shopping partner to reduce your serving size, burning some extra calories later in the day (an extra walk with the dog, perhaps?) or having smaller helpings at dinner.

Weight-Loss Tip 3: Take on small chunks.

Thomas’ Word: Rather than have her clients tackle everything at once, Thomas has them complete one organizing project at a time. For Joyner, this proved to be a revelation.

Joyner’s World: “Geralin told me to clean out just one drawer, and then the immediate area, and then the room. It’s the same thing with weight loss. My ultimate goal can be to log all my food, take 10,000 steps daily and bump up my exercise from 35 to 45 minutes daily, but I don’t have to try all three at the same time.”

Your Takeaway: Setting a gradual plan for progress can make any big project — cleaning an attic or losing 50 pounds — seem manageable. What does a healthy life look like to you? Make a list of the diet and exercise changes you would like to make. They could include limiting soda intake to no more than three 12-ounce servings per week, working out for 30 minutes three times a week and sticking to 1,600 calories a day. Trying everything at once might be too overwhelming — miss one goal and you might want to throw the whole plan out the window. Instead, tackle just one goal at a time. Limit your soda intake for one to two weeks and then add the next lifestyle change to your actions. Soon, you’ll have implemented all the changes on your list!