New Year’s Resolution – Organize Your Home!

When the New Year rolls around, many people make a vow to change in some way. There’s no shortage of resolutions to make when the clock strikes midnight. They might come in the form of getting healthier, being more punctual, or finally getting those little corners of the house cleared out. Below, Porta-Stor will go over some ways you can get your home more organized, from the closets to that pesky corner in the basement. With these tips, you can see this New Year’s resolution through and have a more organized home all year long!

Tackle the Trouble Spots

If your New Year’s resolution is to organize your home, you probably have a few areas that are particularly messy. As you set out on this task, it’s actually best to start with your most unorganized spots. These are the areas of your home that make you want to get more organized in the first place. It could be your garage, a hall closet, or that overcrowded kitchen cabinet – whatever it is, that’s the place to start your organization. This way, you’ll be able to jump in with more enthusiasm for the worst part of the process. After that’s been accomplished, it’s all downhill!

Focus on a Task

Once you’ve decided your first step, whether it’s organizing your clothes or going through the kitchen cabinets, make sure you stay on task until that project is complete. Don’t move onto the next task without finishing the previous one first. Sort through all of the items in that area and create a keep, toss, and donate pile. Then immediately remove the things that need to be tossed and donated to the trash or car and put back the keepers in the right place. Don’t leave the task half completed for weeks (or months), because you started cleaning another area in the middle of the project.

Keeping a list of the larger tasks as well as the smaller steps that need to be taken to fulfill those goals can help you focus and stay on track. Don’t move down the list until you’ve crossed something off of it. If you want more tips on decluttering, check out Porta-Stor’s blog here!

Set a Time Limit

When you get started organizing a location in your home, give yourself a time limit. If you begin purging and organizing without a plan, you might end up overwhelmed and discouraged. Set yourself a time limit that works for you. This might be 15 minutes or two hours. Some people focus better in small bursts, while others need to finish a project once they've started.

During the allotted time period, purge, sort, clean, and organize the area. If it’s a small project, try to set a reasonable time in which to complete it. When you’re setting out to organize an entire room, give yourself a couple of days and spread out some time slots for each part of the project. Be honest about your process and how much time you think you’ll need, and stick to the time limits you give yourself.

Once the big trouble areas have been cleared up, give yourself a small time each day to declutter and maintain your home. Depending on your schedule, this could be something like 5 minutes or 50 minutes – whatever works for you and your space. Focus on a particular area, such as a cabinet, a shelf, or a closet. This is a great habit to keep throughout the year, so that you stay on top of your clutter and keep your home better organized and clean.

Add More Storage Space

During your decluttering process, have you realized that you need more storage space? You might be able to add some shelves in your garage or bathroom or add baskets to your linen closet. Adding this type of structure will help you keep your belongings more organized and easy to find throughout the year. The most important factor when it comes to organizing your stuff is to have a proper place to store every item. When things don’t have a place to belong, they end up as clutter.

[bctt tweet="The most important factor when it comes to organizing your stuff is to have a proper place to store every item. When things don’t have a place to belong, they end up as clutter."]

Still don’t have enough space? If you find that you have extra family heirlooms, seasonal clothing and decorations, furniture, or other items that you want to keep but can’t find a place to store, consider renting a portable storage container. This can provide that extra space you need to get your home organized and decluttered once and for all!