​Tips to Getting Your Home Organized in the New Year

Tips to Getting Your Home Organized in the New Year

With the arrival of the new year, many home owners will resolve to clean, declutter, and reorganize their homes in the coming months. This is an especially helpful resolution if they plan to put their house on the market sometime in the near future.

Here are a few tips from Julie Morgenstern, an organization and time-management expert

As with many New Year’s resolutions, though, it's easier to compile a checklist than it is to buckle down and actually get tasks done.

1. Start Small: “Pick one or two of the smallest areas you spend the most time in and tackle those first,” Morgenstern advises. For instance, choose your sock drawer, medicine cabinet, refrigerator, or front closet. You can finish those projects quickly and they may inspire you to tackle something bigger next.
2. Be Realistic: She says reorganizing several rooms in one day is not going to happen. You will likely feel overwhelmed as you work, won’t accomplish it all, and then feel defeated when you don’t finish. Pick one or two things you know you can complete in one day, and don’t expect to do more than that.
3. Work Logically: “Store things where they’re used, not where they fit…In the kitchen for example, group all food-prep items together,” says Morgenstern. If you group things by purpose, it will be easy to find everything you need when working on any one project. Primarily, though, organize based on your habits, goals, and the way you think. This will maximize your satisfaction at the end of the day.
4. Inspire Yourself: Envision the way your life will be different when your work is done. Perhaps you will be on time to events once you can find things easily in your closet, perhaps you will cook more at home when your kitchen is in working order, or perhaps you will find joy in locating the CD or DVD you are looking for in just moments. Morgenstern adds, “Don’t think of it as making room for more stuff. It’s about making room for new relationships or peace of mind or new experiences.”