Five Easy Ways to Declutter and Organize Your Home This New Year
Practical ways to declutter and organize your home for a calmer, more organized New Year!
At a Glance:
- Create a dedicated homework spot for kids.
- Set up a “to-go” center by the front door.
- Give every item a home to reduce clutter.
- Assign chores and involve the whole family.
Result: Less stress, more time, and a calm, organized home to start the year right.
Would you believe that the key to a healthy life is an organized one? They say the state of your home reflects the state of your mind, so it makes sense to stop and consider whether your home is working for you. With the start of a new year, now is the perfect time for a refresh.
As busy parents, consider how much time is spent looking for things that go missing, or putting away stray items because they just simply do not have a designated place. Then consider taking the time you invest each week to do mundane organizational chores, and putting that time into doing something you enjoy … or nothing at all?
Here are five easy ways to get your household in tip-top shape and running smoothly, like a well-oiled machine:
Designate a Homework Spot
With the holiday break over, it’s back to crunch time, and being organized will help make the drudgery of the school schedule a bit easier. Keep pens, pencils, glue, construction paper, loose-leaf, rulers, and anything you might need for your child’s particular homework located in a handy spot directly near the table or desk you would like them to do their work. Keep all supplies there all the time (and when you find them anywhere else, make sure they always go back to that spot), and let your child know that homework time happens there.
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Create a To-Go Center
Keep keys, ID cards, Purell, bus passes, etc… on a shelf or another area right by the front door. Nearby, create another area to keep jackets, sweaters, umbrellas, along with hats and gloves, in an easily accessible bin. This ensures that anything you need will be located right by the door, eliminating last-minute full-house searches when you’re trying to get out on time. It’s a huge time (and sanity ) saver!
Make a Place for Everything
You know the extra plastic bags, loose pins, tie-offs, scrunchies, and stray receipts you find literally everywhere around your house? Wait for a rainy weekend and create a spot for each one! The local dollar store sells multiple small stackable drawers that can easily fit inside a kitchen cupboard, and are ideal to hold small items in individual compartments.
Designate Specific Days for Tasks
Laundry day on Friday, food prep on Sundays, vacuuming on Thursdays, etc. Setting aside specific days to attack particular tasks forces you to get that chore done that day, and on a regular basis. It also helps keep you from feeling overwhelmed with many chores all at once because now each task will have a different day to get done.
Teach Your Kids to Pitch In from a Very Early Age and Enlist Help
Kids can either learn to become tidy or not, so from an early age, require your kids to become responsible for the order of your home. Once they start, hold them to it. That alone will give you several minutes every day with less for you to do.
Using age-appropriate tasks and consequences, this daily type of maintenance becomes a way of life for them — and you. It will also help create a new generation of efficient adults.
And do not forget to include your spouse in this equation! After all, why should you be the sole one responsible for the cleanliness and order in your home? That will only lead to resentment, and that is not fun for anyone involved.
More on Chores and Decluttering:
How do I start decluttering my house?
Start small… pick one room, one area, or even one category (like clothes or papers). Sort items into keep, donate, and toss piles, and focus on creating a home for everything you keep.
How do I teach my kids to do chores?
Always start with small, age-appropriate tasks. First, show them how to do it, and then be consistent. Praise effort, not perfection, and make it part of the daily routine, so it becomes a habit.
The 3 biggest decluttering mistakes:
- Trying to do it all at once – overwhelm leads to giving up.
- Keeping things “just in case” – holding onto items you don’t actually use.
- Not having a system – without designated spots, clutter comes right back.
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