5 New Year’s Resolutions for Home Organization
With a new year comes a new start, and while some make resolutions to be more organized or practice healthier habits, I love making resolutions for home organization. Here are some suggestions to make your home help you live the most beautiful life possible.
5 New Year’s Resolutions for Home Organization
1. Be deliberate with paper
Paper is a huge contributor to clutter, and when you have kids it only gets worse with art projects, school exercises, and permission forms accumulating. Make it your mission to conquer paper clutter this year. Here are a few concrete tips:
- Use a binder system. Get a binder (with dividers) and put it at the front of the house so that permission forms, bills, and coupons get filed right away. When the binder gets full, transfer all the paper to your permanent filing system (like a file cabinet or file boxes) elsewhere in the house.
- Put all art that gets created in a drawer. Once a week, commit to taking photos of all of the paper and storing it in an app like Artchive. Keep some of them (the nicer ones) in a memory box or file folder in the same way you store your bills and forms from the binder.
- Scan it. I have a friend who swears by the Fugitsu iX500 ScanSnap Scanner for quick and simple paper elimination. Whatever your system, get into the habit of scanning (or even taking photos on your phone) of paper and recycling immediately to reduce paper clutter.
2. Keep 2/3 of your kitchen counters clutter free
Many times I’ll do a consultation and I find the kitchen counters of my clients cluttered with every small appliance imaginable. While this not only makes functioning difficult, it is also very visually overwhelming. Make a little breathing room both for your hands and your eyes by committing to keeping your counters 2/3 clear. Store only the essential appliances (the ones you use multiple times daily) on the surface. Everything else goes in a cabinet.
3. Treat yourself to fresh flowers once a week
Flowers, especially in the cold winter, are an instant visual win and energy booster. I treat myself to a $9.99 bouquet of mini roses or other blooms once a week. I grab mine while I grab my groceries, and they are a delightful mood elevator.
4. Only keep the things that bring you joy
Home organization is easier if you practice the discipline of only keeping things that bring you joy. If you get something as a gift and you don’t love it, don’t keep it. Don’t let your house become a storage place for things that might have a ‘one day’ purpose. Your space is too valuable for that! Practice donating items that no longer serve a purpose or make you happy.
5. Invest in time to enjoy your home
As a working mom, I can attest that life is busy. But for our own well being, we have got to invest in time for ourselves. So make it a priority to make an area of the house truly enjoyable to relax in. For me, that room is my living room. I commit to tidying it every night (before bedtime if I can swing it!) so that my husband and I can just enjoy and relax. It also means I invest in small yet luxe touches like a faux fur throw, some plush comfy pillows, essential oils in a diffuser (to make the room smell nice and to help with relaxation) and an actual hardcopy book to read with no distractions.
