Almost everyone makes New Year’s resolutions for themselves—exercise daily, spend more time with family and friends, travel, do something nice for someone else every day, eliminate stress, etc. But consider this: if the walls of your home could talk, what would be their hopes for the year ahead? There is no doubt about it, mine would say, “Get organized…please.”
I’m not sure exactly how it happened or when, but sometime in the years since my daughter was born, my home has slowly become a clutter catch all. While I don’t qualify to be on the next episode of Hoarders, I have to say that I’m ready to sift through the toys, clothes, notebooks, and miscellaneous items that we have gradually accumulated and start fresh.
Author of the New York Times’ Bestseller The Happiness Project Gretchen Rubin says that getting organized is important, but is not the first step on the path to a happier life—getting rid of stuff is! After reading her book and spending some time scaling the web for handy tips and tricks, here is my plan to help my home in 2015:
If you don’t use it, lose it! Closets, cabinets and drawers tend to be my weak spots, so my first step in getting organized is to sort through each of them and toss out what I don’t want, don’t need or don’t use. Whether it’s that pair of pants with the tags still on them, the outfit I might wear one day, the ugly coffee mug I never liked or the ninety-seventh crayon in our “junk drawer,” whatever isn’t being used has to go.
Make the most of the space by installing shelves and drawers where they are needed. To avoid creating more clutter for myself in the future (or having a more efficient space to stash it), I will only be installing these systems where they are absolutely beneficial and necessary. My bathroom has almost no storage space and results in my under-the-sink cabinet being filled to the brim. There is nowhere to store towels or my daughter’s bath toys neatly. Shelves and drawers will make a big difference in how this space looks and feels! Installing shelves in my living room, however, would likely result in them being filled with more “stuff,” an issue I’d like to avoid at all costs.
Designate items to a particular place. The problem with the state of our home now is not that it is messy, but that most things have an approximate place…not a definite one. If I need a safety pin or a hair tie, I can think of a range of places one might be or probably is. It’s time for these items to have a single home of their own.
Conquer the clutter one room at a time. Don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to organize the entire house at once. Make a plan based on the priority of each room and start with the one that is most important to you.
More organization and less clutter at home will likely mean that I will be entertaining more, helping me achieve my other New Year’s resolution of spending more time with loved ones. Once your organization projects are complete, reward yourself by giving each room a fresh new look by adding simple and sensible decor, like a cozy rug from Mohawk Home.
Have more ideas and tips for getting your home organized? Tell us in the comments below!
