5 Tips for Organization in the New Year

Resolving to be organized (and stay organized) is always a good idea! I promise life is less hectic when your home isn’t in shambles and you have space to just breathe! It’s also a good feeling when you have your day planned out with a sense of productivity verses trying to remember what’s next. I’m practicing these things too, friend, and here’s what I’ve found helpful that I want to share with you!

1) An App for Staying on Track

I’m a list person. I like making note of my to-dos so I can lose that thought in my head for the time being. I used to create one run-on calendar event in my phone that listed all of the tasks I needed to get done the following day, then I’d delete text from the one event as I completed them. It was a horrible system! Recently, I downloaded a free app by Google called Tasks. It lets me create lists with options to add details, date and time, and sub folders. There’s also a feature that moves completed tasks to a category that you can refer back to. Check it out!

2) A New Habit You Won’t Regret

My biggest advice to anyone is to purge anything that hasn’t been touched in the past 6+ months. When in doubt, get rid of it. It’s essential to purge in order to be organized! I keep a bag in my closet to toss things into regularly and donate when it’s filled up.

3) Start with a Clean Slate

My favorite way to organize is to pull everything out and sort through it as you put it back. For spaces like a pantry, be sure to combine what you can and remove items from packaging to create space and avoid overbuying.

4) A Cleaning Schedule that Saves Your Sanity

I like a tidy house, but I feel like I’m constantly cleaning. Any hand raises? I’ve learned to create a schedule and stick to it. For example, if I clean the bathroom counters and hubby shaves the next day (leaving behind traces of facial hair), I don’t jump to clean the counter again. I just leave it knowing I’ll be cleaning again in two weeks. Otherwise, I’m always cleaning! My cleaning schedule:

Bi-weekly: Clean the bathrooms and kitchen
Weekly: Vacuum and mop the floors throughly
Occasionally (or as needed): Dust around the house and wash bed sheets

5) Organize with Baskets

You can’t have enough baskets. As a matter of fact, I wrote a post on The Many Uses for Baskets in Your Home. It’s the best solution for organizing, especially for keeping family members organized too. For example, we have a small basket of Rowan’s toys in our bedroom (our room is opposite her room), and she knows to put her toys back in the basket whenever she’s done playing.