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Organizing your first dorm room can be an exciting part of your journey into independence—but it can also be a big challenge fitting all of your stuff into a small space. You will probably be sharing that space with at least one other person, possibly more.

I’ve found a lot of articles are out there with dorm room organizing ideas and tips, but not so many on mistakes to avoid. Here are a few pitfalls I remember from my own dorm room organizing experiences.

1. Trying to pack everything in super large, heavy containers.

A lot of students head to school with a large trunk of some sort, often the well-intentioned gift of a family member. This trunk may seem like a smart idea—after all, it can hold a ton of stuff, and is obviously a good space saver.

But reality will hit you when you realize your room is on the second floor, and you need to get that trunk all the way upstairs—and all the way down at the end of the year. It is quite likely you will be doing this on your own. One back injury later, you’ll be questioning why anyone thought that trunk was a smart idea.

2. Using clear storage totes for everything.

Clear plastic containers are awesome for helping you find what you need, but they pose two problems in a dorm room. The first is that they contribute to the look of clutter, and the second is that they afford you no privacy (do you really want to store your underwear in a see-through box?). By all means, pack a few—but consider some opaque bins as well.

3. Overstuffing your large plastic storage bins.

Unlike large storage trunks, large plastic totes tend to be reasonably lightweight (assuming their contents are not all textbooks). For this reason, they are a more sensible option. But you should resist the urge to overstuff them. Over the years, they will warp out of shape, and eventually, they may no longer close correctly, stack, or fit where you need them to.

4. Not raising your bed as high off the floor as possible.

What is the very first thing you should do when you arrive in your dorm room? After deciding on a layout, I would suggest you put your bed on the highest notch available (assuming you have adjustable beds). You will be very grateful for all that extra space.

5. Assuming that all the room in your closet or under your bed will be used for storage.

Finally, be aware that a lot of students wind up with a desk or chair underneath a high bed, or even inside a closet (I used to sit halfway into my closet at my desk). So you may want to pack a bit less than you think you have space for. You may have less room than you expect.

Now you have some mistakes to avoid to go along with your dorm room organizing tips. Good luck with your dorm room layout and storage ideas!