Happy New Year! It’s 2022, and we here at Fireside Furniture are ready to celebrate with these ten house clean-out, room clean-up, life and home-organization tips for the New Year.
Whether the household size is 1 or 21, we all have the same issue: keeping our space organized. Now, there are those out there who enjoy home organization. Believe it, or not some people look forward to ensuring that everything is in its proper place. But for the rest of us out here, there is help.
Change Your Perspective
It’s easy to get overwhelmed when standing back and observing the entire area as a whole, and this leads to feelings of defeat before you’ve even started. So let’s flip the script to avoid that self-sabotage mindset by starting small. Pick one area of the home that you desperately want to declutter. This place can be a sink in the bathroom or kitchen, a corner of a bedroom, maybe a wall out in the garage; you get the idea. Set a timer for 20 minutes and get going! When the timer goes off, no matter what, you stop and empty the clutter you’ve collected and vow to do it all over again tomorrow.
First, grab a trash bag and pick the spot most accessible to get started. Working your way through the area, you’re going to want to be on the lookout for trash and debris first. Trash is anything that does not have a use or serve a purpose.
The Ten Rules For 2022
Decluttering the home is not the time for sentimentality. Still, in the course of decluttering, you will probably run across items that have special meaning, such as an award from work, or a softball trophy that your little one won ten years ago and has now forgotten it exists. In cases like these, perhaps taking a picture with your phone and storing the image in a particular folder in the cloud will allow you to keep the emotional attachment while dumping the physical clutter.
Just remember these ten rules:
- Concentrate on flat surfaces first; keeping those picked up will instantly improve the room.
- Be honest, If the item doesn’t serve a purpose, it’s time for it to go.
- If you have not used/worn it in five years, it’s time for it to go.
- Keep the floors clear, except for furniture, and everything else should have a place to belong.
- Experience the joy of giving by donating valuable items that you no longer need. Donating is very freeing and will provide you with a mood boost for the rest of the week!
- This goes along with number five, place items that are good for donation in the car to keep them from working their way back into your closet.
- Give careful consideration to purchasing new items. Ask yourself, “Do I need this?”
- Commit to reenacting this process every 90 days. Decluttering should be easier and less time-consuming each time you complete the task.
- Set up a place for keys, mail, and other dailies that come into the house, so they don’t multiply and become messy.
- Set up and stick to a “one in, one out” rule. In other words, before buying a new pair of shoes or jeans, get rid of a pair of shoes or jeans, or whatever item is under consideration.
Consistency is Key
As with anything good in life, consistency is the most critical part of this decluttering method. Sticking to the 20-minute time limit will keep you from feeling overwhelmed and worn out by the process. And sticking to the daily commitment will ensure that you see results that are oh so motivational!
Good luck, and from all your friends at Fireside Furniture, Happy New Year!
