Every time the calendar flips from one year to the next, millions of us resolve to lose weight, quit smoking or reduce debt. But have you given much thought to getting your house in order? Are you tired of staring at all of those boxes crammed with clothes you haven’t worn in 10 years or with toys your kids haven’t touched in who know when?
The new year is a perfect time to stop procrastinating, and start organizing your home and life. Here are 6 tips to help you get your New Year off to a well-organized start.
#1 START SMALL
Simply put, don’t bite off more than you can chew.
“People usually make a resolution that says something like, ‘I’m going to get my home and office totally organized this year, and I will never misplace anything again’.” This way of thinking is not only unrealistic but sets you up for failure.
To prevent that frustration, make resolutions like, “I will do my shopping using a list rather than trying to remember what I need.”
#2 ESTABLISH DAILY, WEEKLY, AND MONTHLY ROUTINES
Creating routines to accomplishing tasks will make sure even the mundane things get done around the house.
For example, make your bed daily, pay your bills weekly and clean out your wallet monthly.
#3 DIVIDE AND CONQUER
Rather than taking on a massive organizing project, break that project up into pieces, like getting the corner of a room into shape, not the entire room.
One of the biggest misconceptions is that a room can be transformed into an organized area in a matter of minutes. Most rooms or offices do not become disorganized overnight but rather over months or years, so it will require hours or days to work through the contents of a space and restore its order.
#4 FIND A HOME FOR EVERYTHING
Don’t bring anything new into your home unless you know where you’re going to keep it. Not having an idea as to where this new item will live makes it easier to bring back clutter into your home.
#5 MAKE LONG-TERM COMMITMENT
Organizing doesn’t end when you’ve completed the first sweep of your home. Organization is an ongoing process. For instance, you’ve regularly got to pick up stuff around the house and put it in its proper place.
In addition, you’ve got to be flexible with your organization plans. Just as our lives and schedules continually change, the way we organize our homes and offices will also need to be re-evaluated and changed.
#6 GIVE YOURSELF GRACE
One of the biggest things getting in the way of accomplishing goals is the “all or nothing” mentality.
Basically, you have to do everything perfectly, or it’s not even worth trying or finishing. The all-or-nothing mentality tells you to give up and continue in a haphazard for the rest of the day, and instead start over again – perfectly – tomorrow.
For the majority of people, the all-or-nothing approach does not work. Instead, remember that your journey is a long one, and that conditions do not have to be perfect in order for you to make small progress. Focus instead on doing the right things more often, and forgive yourself when you fall short or slip up. Don’t give up if it’s not perfect – just recognize your mistakes and move past them. That’s where true progress comes from.
Organized Chick has been serving the Metro Atlanta community for over 8 years and a proud local and national member of NAPO. Organized Chick specializes in residential organizing, home office organizing, small business organizing and relocation services. When you are feeling overwhelmed, or needing more help? Organized Chick can create a personalized work space for you and your children and help you maintain a balanced working-home. Contact us now for a consultation.
This post contains affiliate links. Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We try our best to keep things fair and balanced, in order to help you make the best choice for you.