Alright, 2021. You’re here, welcome! We’ve all had a minute to pick ourselves up after the holiday season and now we’re ready to really make some headway on those goals! Have you ever heard how conquering goals can be similar to making a big snowball? Start with a small goal, accomplish it, the momentum will propel you to tackle a larger goal, accomplishing that, and pretty soon, you have a huge snowball of accomplished goals, from small to big! Well, a lot of our goals for a new year may include getting the house in order after all the running about during the holidays. Here are a few simple ideas to get started on decluttering, tidying, and creating a space that brings you peace and refreshment!
- Just do something. No seriously, that’s the first step here…just start! Don’t get overwhelmed by thinking about THE WHOLE HOUSE. One idea would be to literally start in a drawer in your kitchen that needs to be cleaned out. Drawers are fun to organize because they’re small, usually can be organized in a small amount of time, and they make you feel so good when that’s done that you can move onto the next drawer or the next cupboard that’s a little larger to get that snowball really accumulating some substance. I like to take everything out of that drawer, wipe it down, sort through things on the counter (group similar items together), then put it all back. If necessary, buy some new drawer organizing dividers and supplies to keep it all tidy too. Enjoy the fact that you DID SOMETHING! Then move onto another project before you run out of steam.
- The Four Box (or Bag) Method – Get four boxes or bags, label them as follows: TRASH, DONATE, PUT AWAY, STORAGE Choose one room or closet to go through. Bonus points for making this a family activity, too! The living room is a great place to start, since there’s usually random things in there that pile up. Old magazines you’ve read: TRASH. Random toys and socks laying around: PUT AWAY. Forgotten holiday decorations still out in the corners: STORAGE. And for the DONATE box, challenge yourself to find 5-10 things that you don’t really need in that room and donate them, such as extra knick knacks collecting dust, books you’re done reading, old blankets that you could do without, etc.
- Give each item a home within your home. This one seems obvious, but it’s REALLY HARD. So give yourself grace and stay on top of being diligent about putting things away. Everything in our great room has a designated “home” within our home….the children know where it belongs and it’s just that much easier to clean up quickly instead of taking too long to put things away each night to reset a room. I understand that this can be daunting; again, give yourself grace but just doing something about giving each item a specific spot to live in your house will help you want to keep the mantra “don’t just put something down, put it away!”
- One last “fun” tidying trick that I’ve learned several years ago is for your closets. It’s simple, it doesn’t involve a lot of time, but it’s really eye opening. In January, turn all your hangars backwards for your clothes hanging in your closet. Yep, backwards. After you’ve worn that item of clothing, turn the hangar back to facing a normal hanging position. On July 1, Evaluate what clothes you have not worn in the last 6 months. Ask yourself “if you haven’t worn this in the last 6 months, am I really that attached to this article of clothing?” Be honest and ruthless here…remember, the goal is to pair down stuff in your life, so just get rid of it! Ahhh, how much better does that feel to have clothes in your closet that you actually wear….what a concept!
So, cheers to 2021. Your home should be a sanctuary, a place to come and relax and reset. Don’t let the clutter and extra stuff crowd your peace out of those four walls. Take control of your space this year. Practice these tips to start out with your loved ones living with you and you could all find a little extra enjoyment in your home by starting with these simple new year decluttering tips! Can’t wait to see how enormous your snowball of accomplished goals, including creating a space you LOVE, will grow in 2021!
