10 Jan 5 Tips for Organizing in the New Year
Hi, I’m Kari Jane, a professional organizer in Los Angeles and the founder of Simply Organized by Kari Jane, and I wanted to share my five favorite organizing tips to tackle the dreaded “get organized!” resolution at the top of everyone’s’ lists. So what if your tree is still up, your decorations a-scatter, and the holiday clutt…er cheer, making the prospect of getting organized completely overwhelming! I promise you, these simple and affordable steps will get you there, no sweat. (You can save the sweat for the gym).
Tip 1 — Get your head organized first!
While putting your home, office, or finances in order may feel like a burning priority, it does require a strategy. If you just dive in, how do you know the right amount of time to budget, or where to apply your effort first, or if you have the materials on hand to complete the chore properly? I’ve seen too many half-finished organization projects that were doomed by lack of planning. The client set aside a single Saturday morning to accomplish something that would have taken a team of professionals a week to finish, didn’t have the right storage solutions on hand, and ended up with more of a mess for her efforts. If you have a large project, break it down into mini-projects to conquer in manageably scheduled blocks of time. Maybe your whole closet needs serious attention, but it’s the shoe orgy at the bottom giving you the worst nightmares. Start there. Figure out what boxes, bags, or separators you’ll need to bring order to the chaos, block off an hour, and tackle it. By setting aside one to two hours to declutter a small area, you are rewarded with immediate results for your time and effort, rather than further stressed by the haphazard outcome of an overly ambitious attempt at the whole enchilada.
Tip 2 — Store it smart!
A “storage solution” is not a black hole you shove stuff into so you don’t have to look at it during the times said stuff is not in use. The solution should be simple and inexpensive to implement, and make life easier for you the next time you need the items. Those holiday decorations you’re currently staring at offer a perfect opportunity to implement a smart storage solution. Start by investing in some clear bins. Then, as you take them down, expend a little extra time to sort through your decorations and discard what you don’t want anymore. Next, group like items together, (wrap fragile ornaments to protect against breakage), and place them in the bins. Finally, label the front of each bin so you know what it contains. Next year when it comes time to deck the halls, your thinner, healthier, best-life self will be high-fiving you — and following the same system, because it’s just so darn smart!
Tip 3 — Don’t discount the little fixes!
There’s no denying the sense of satisfaction that comes from (finally!) organizing the garage, or purging the decades-old toiletries cluttering the master bath, but don’t discount the value of organizing stuff that isn’t in your sightline every day. Food, for example, deserves a little attention, even though it’s tucked away in the refrigerator, cabinets and pantry. During the holidays especially, there is always so much food, and that can create stealth chaos in your kitchen. Start by going through the fridge and cupboards, getting rid of expired items and leftovers that have gone bad. Purchase inexpensive bins or baskets to organize your pantry, and label them in categories, such as, ‘breakfast,’ or ‘snacks.’ A system like this is easy to maintain, increases your efficiency when preparing meals, and prevents you from buying double, which saves you money in the long run!
Tip 4 — You can’t spell “solution” without “U.”
Okay, so here’s where I share a hard little fact you secretly already know: All the clear bins, calligraphy labels, cute baskets, and color-coded files in the world won’t keep you organized if you don’t expend some personal magic to make it work. Nowhere is this more evident than with household paper. Any good organizer will recommend you create a ‘center’ for your mail, bills, kids’ school schedules, family activities and appointments. This will put an end to having papers all over the house. They’ll recommend that you have a master calendar to keep track of events, plans, and things to do instead of having sticky notes everywhere. Recycle or shred junk mail as soon you bring the mail into the house. Having such a system in place for paperwork will help create a stress-free home…if you do the daily work to use the solution you’ve created. Just like the “get in shape,” resolution, or the “save money,” resolution, some personal discipline is required!
Tip 5 — Celebrate your success!
By setting small and attainable resolutions for yourself, you will feel like you accomplished something. The feeling of crossing a task off your list, or taking a donation box of purged items to your favorite charity is so rewarding. So make sure to celebrate your successes with something special like a manicure, a hot cup of tea, or a binge on your favorite reality show.
Following these simple tips in the new year will help you create a calmer and less stressful environment, and who doesn’t want that?