I know, I know. We have almost three days of 2016 left and you aren’t really thinking about those New Year’s resolutions just yet, right?
The thing is, with the kids home from school, family visiting for the holidays and the extra space the tree and other decorations take up, you might actually be thinking about the new year and getting a little peace and quiet! You might also be wondering how to get organized as the new year starts.
Thankfully, we can help with that.
Generally speaking, a lack of organization stems from not having a place for everything. When you know where something belongs, it’s much easier to put it in that place.
But with growing families, or simply an active life, it’s easy to be out of space. When that happens, we’re your place!
If you just need an extra closet to store your suitcases, cooler and holiday decorations, we can help. Our 5 x5 units are about the size of a big closet, so that makes them perfect for storing those once or twice a year items, like you luggage and holiday decorations, but they’re also perfect for storing your off-season clothing, turkey roaster (Because really, who uses it between Thanksgiving and Easter?), or those school projects the kids did and you just can’t throw away.
But it’s also possible that’s just not enough extra space.
The first rule of getting organized is to decide what you need to keep and what can be recycled, re-gifted or simply trashed. We spent the week leading up to Christmas going through every room in the house, one or two a day, deciding what we needed to keep and what to toss. The week between Christmas and New Year’s is also a great time to do this, so you can start the new year with your house ready for a fresh start. And it’s amazing how quickly stuff accumulates and where. One of the biggest stashes of stuff to trash we found was in the laundry room. Our cleaning closet was full of cleaning supplies we used once and didn’t like.
In the bathroom, it was half-used bottles of lotion that no longer smelled great and perfume that was no longer a favorite. In the bedroom, we got rid of clothes that were so well-loved they were falling apart and the new ones that looked great in the store, but not on us.We used the three pile system: keep it, toss it and donate it.
Thesecond rule of getting organized is to put away the things you only need occasionally. Whether its the cooler you only need for weekend trips to the Shore or sleds that only get used when it actually snows, your organization plan should include putting those less used items in a more out of the way spot or storage unit. Then, be realistic about the things you use every day. Chances are if you are a coffee drinker, your organization plan should involve leaving the coffee maker on the counter. Reserve your kitchen cabinet space for the pots and dishes you use every day and pack the others away.
The final rule of getting organized is to keep up with it every day, but cut yourself some slack too. Your house is not going to be perfectly organized every day five minutes after you get home from work. But if you find a place for everything and spend a few minutes each morning or evening putting things back where they go, your steps toward organization are underway and your new year is a lot less cluttered.