Organize Your New Year

Every year I feel all warm and cuddly around Christmas. It’s such a lovely time of year. We add decorations and fill a room with the tree and presents, really decking the halls. Not long after the gifts are all unwrapped, I feel a strong urge to put it all away. For me, it’s time to organze your new year!

While some people make new resolutions as the calendar flips to the next year, I do the same thing every year, purge! I have a few organization tips for you, in case a little decluttering is in your future plans.

1. Purge

This one is possibly the hardest, if you become emotional about your stuff, but for me, I don’t mind purging at all. I may be an over-purger! The good news is that this part is always free, grab some totes or garbage bags and get to sorting! You’ll want to put each item in either Keep, Give or Trash. The more in give or trash, the easier the next steps become.

I try to take my items to the trash and Goodwill before moving on to the next steps. You’ll feel accomplished!

2. Organize

Take the things you kept, and put like with like. If your clutter was born from a lack of proper storage, the best thing to do is purge and organize FIRST. This way you will get a better sense of what you need to buy/repurpose for proper storage.

Do not buy your organizations supplies first. You’ll regret it every time.

Taking measurements also helps after you organize. There is nothing worse than grabbing baskets or containers that just won’t fit your space. You’ll save time by planning ahead!

3. Stage

Now that you have your most loved and needed belongings, take time to make it attractive! You will be far more inclined to keep things neat if you love the way it looks. After all, you did all of that work for a payoff, and a pretty space to stand back and look at, or take pictures of is a major bonus.

A reminder of that work and payoff is a good way to stay accountable as well. I have scrolled though photos of my past projects when I have been in a cleaning funk, and they always get me back in action.

4. Touch-ups

A daily/weekly routine of a few minutes of maintenance should help with keeping your home clutter free. If you don’t feel like it, commit to a time of 5 minutes to begin with. Turn up the music and give that 5 minutes all you can! If you feel like stopping, pat yourself on the back for a job well done. You may be surprised to find however, that you feel like plowing through until you see the same space you made in stage three. Go you!

If you take on a project, I would love to see your before and afters!!

Sam is wife to one and mom to six. She loves her Lord, her family, organizing and fitness. She homeschools, takes pictures of everything, and drinks sweet tea. You can find her blogging over at Sam’s Noggin