If getting your home organized is on your list of projects to accomplish in the new year, the following five tips can help you get started to clear the clutter:
- Scale back your expectations. Start small and be realistic about what you want to accomplish. Plan a little time each day to one section of a room and keep going until you’ve organized your home to your satisfaction.
- Designate areas in your home for keeping your household bills, your children’s schoolwork and other necessary items. Sort piles of paperwork from the bottoms of the piles up. The items at the bottoms of the piles will likely be old and past their usefulness.
- Place a big basket in your family or living room. Use this basket to stash children’s toys and other items that are on the floor or collect around the home until you have time to put them away.
- When sorting through objects in your home, think about their usefulness. Ask yourself, “Do I love them? Do I need them? How often do I use them?” If the answer is “no” to these questions, toss them out.
- Make time for straightening up each day. If you devote time each day to curbing the clutter, you won’t be overwhelmed in the way you would if you put everything off until Saturday morning. Even five minutes a day can make a big difference.
