January is National Get Organized Month, and as we move into the new year, it’s the perfect time to declutter, clean, and organize your home! “Clutter isn’t just the stuff on the floor. It’s anything that gets between you and the life you want to be living.” -Peter Walsh

A well-organized home enhances your living space, reduces stress, and makes daily life feel less overwhelming and more efficient. Whether you’re considering selling your home in the near future or simply want to create a more comfortable, calm, and inviting environment– getting organized is the first step!

National Get Organized Month. Woman relaxing on couch after organizing home.

Declutter Room by Room

National Get Organized Month. Woman going through belongings for donation, keep or discard.

Start with one room at a time to prevent feeling overwhelmed. Go through your belongings and decide what to keep, donate, or discard. Be ruthless in your decluttering efforts, and remember that less is often more. Consider finding creative storage solutions for items with sentimental value that you can’t part with. “If you are trying to figure out whether or not to get rid of something, use this rule: If it costs less than $20 to rebuy, and you currently don’t use it and haven’t in a while, get rid of it.”

Invest in Storage Solutions

National Get Organized Month. Storage solutions for organizing your home.

Consider investing in storage solutions to maximize your space. Utilize shelves, bins, baskets, and drawer organizers to keep items neatly arranged and easily accessible. Customized storage solutions can also make a significant difference, especially in small spaces like your pantry or laundry cabinets.

Embrace Minimalism

National Get Organized Month. Minimalism designed great room with multipurpose office.

Minimalism, by definition, is a design or aesthetic approach that emphasizes achieving the most impactful effect through the use of the fewest and simplest elements. Think straight lines, limited color palettes, and precise arrangement of your various home elements. This involves simplifying your decor, reducing the number of decorative items, and choosing functional furniture pieces that serve multiple purposes! Embrace the philosophy that less truly is more! Before putting any element in a minimalist space, ask yourself, “Is this necessary?”

Label and Categorize

National Get Organized Month. Labeled food containers on a clean kitchen shelf.

Labeling containers and shelves can help you and your family members find items quickly and keep everything in its designated place. Categorize items based on their use, and be consistent with your labeling system throughout the house. From your pantry to your laundry room, this small step of organizing can make a big difference in an already overscheduled and chaotic life.

Digital Storage

National Get Organized Month. Father taking photos of child artwork to save in their digital photo library.

In today’s digital age, now more than ever, it’s easy to extend your organization efforts to the digital realm. Although we know you love elementary school crafts, some art projects take up a lot of space. Take a picture of your child’s masterpiece and save it forever on a digital file!

A Family Effort

National Get Organized Month. Child organizing closet with containers.

Home organization is a family effort. Encourage everyone in your household to participate in decluttering and maintaining the organized space. Assign age-appropriate tasks to your kiddos and teach them the importance of keeping an organized space!

Create a Cleaning Schedule

National Get Organized Month. Person writing a cleaning schedule on a pad of paper.

Regular cleaning is essential for maintaining an organized home. Develop a cleaning schedule that outlines daily, weekly, and monthly tasks. Staying consistent with your cleaning routine will help prevent clutter from piling up and maintain a tidy living space.

Your Space & Your Mind

National Get Organized Month. Smiling woman in a happy yoga pose in front of a very organized closet.

Organizing your house in the new year may seem like work, but it can be a rewarding experience with potential benefits like:

Enhancing your mood. As the clutter transforms into an organized space, you will experience an overall boost in your mood and less stress.

Sharpen your focus with decluttering. Clutter can create chaos and make it challenging to concentrate. When your environment is clutter-free, your focus sharpens as everything has a designated place. This newfound organization empowers your mind to stay on course, making tasks more manageable and achievable.

Inspire productivity. Decluttering involves problem-solving, which inherently can lead to increased productivity. The visual progress can inspire a burst of energy, motivating you to tackle other items on your to-do list!

Alleviate anxiety. A disorganized and cluttered living space can contribute to anxiety, leading to constant stress and apprehension about accumulating more mess. Decluttering provides a sense of relief, lightening the mental load and fostering clearer thinking and a calmer disposition.

The journey to organizing your home is an investment in your well-being, productivity, and overall quality of life. Remember, the key to successful organization lies in setting achievable decluttering goals and maintaining your newly organized spaces. Taking steps like embracing minimalism, implementing creative storage solutions, and fostering a clutter-free environment will transform your living space, giving you a peace and harmony.