This is how I organize my clothes closets- first by type- dresses, skirts, then slacks, then shirts, sweater that I hang, then jackets. Then I hang each category by color. Once they are organized that way it's fairly easy to put the laundry away in the right place. If I don't have time I just stick everything in there in one spot and move it to the right place the next time I go into the closet to get something. This system works well for me. I tried hanging things by outfits-shirt, sweater, pants that go together, but that didn't work because some things go with more than one outfit. This way I can look for a black shirt and they are all together in one place.
The other organization thing I do to make things look nice is to use decorative tins for storage in my pantry. I buy them at thrift stores. I especially like the ones that are foreign-Italian or French. You can find all different sizes. I even found one that has pancake advertising on the outside and it's just the right size to hold a box of pancake mix. Before I found the tin I used to put the pancake mix box inside a plastic bag so that I wouldn't accidentally spill it inside the cabinet- so the tin is a big improvement. Decorative glass jars are also nice for storing pasta and rice. If you need directions for cooking you can tear them off the box and tape them to the bottom of the storage container.
Also, we use a lot of herbs and spices to cook so I bought one of those tiered shelves that fit on a pantry shelf. I put the spices in alphabetical order on the shelves so they are easy to find. Once in a while something gets put back in the wrong spot, but once it's organized like that it's pretty easy to fix.
A tip I read in a decorating book to keep the inside of your refrigerator looking nice- use all clear storage containers that you can see the food through. That way you don't forget what is in which container and have to open it up. It looks nicer if everything matches, too.
I organize the shelves on the refrigerator door so that all the salad dressing is together, all the different kinds of mustards are together, etc. Maybe it sounds a little finicky but once it's organized it's not that hard to maintain and everything is where you can find it quickly. You just have to teach the kids to put things back in the right place.