It’s a brand new year, and last year was a bit– shall we say– turbulent! This year, let’s take a few steps into being a bit more thoughtful and mindful about our lives and our spaces.
At A Fresh Space, we believe that while a big project can be awfully satisfying, smaller accomplishments can be just as effective. With that in mind, we’re excited to share some of our favorite baby steps for an organized new year. Check out our Instagram starting next week to see our best ideas for getting organized, a little at a time.
We know you’ll be on the edge of your seats until the first tip comes along. Oh, the suspense! Have no fear– we won’t leave you without a few helpful hints for getting started until then.
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Let’s Get Going
To get you set up for an organized new year, putting away all the holiday gifts is a great starting point. It’s tempting to let gifts sit in the exact spot where you dropped them when you unloaded from your trip to Grandma’s house. But we promise– you’ll feel better when you get them into their proper places. For gifts you definitely want to keep, go ahead and store them in their proper places. Take time to evaluate any duplicates you may have. For items you don’t want to keep, make a plan for what to do with those.
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Here’s how:
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- Put that new coat on a hanger in the coat closet, or take your shiny new stapler to your home office.
- Look for items you can replace with gifts you’ve just received. Donate your worn-out pair of black boots if you got a new pair over the holidays. Got new pots and pans? Pass along your old set to your college-aged niece.
- If you received items you don’t believe you’ll use, don’t feel obligated to keep them! With a little research, you can return gifts to the store where they came from.
- Start a “re-gifting” area for items you don’t need or want, but know that one of your friends or family members would love.
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These simple steps will keep you from drowning in the influx of “stuff” following the holiday season. Hit the ground running for your organized new year!
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Dig Deeper
Before you begin the process of decluttering, it’s important to become more aware of the spaces around you and how they function (or, don’t function!) for you and your family. We encourage you to take an intentional look around your house to identify areas that are prone to clutter. Here are a few questions to ask yourself so you can see your home with fresh eyes:
- If I were to have guests over to my home unexpectedly, are there areas where I would gather everything and shove it into the closet?
- What are some things that I never seem to be able to find when I need them?
- What areas of my home make me feel calm, and what areas make me feel anxious or frustrated?
- Do I have an area that I think could be better utilized if it were
clutter-free?
This first step is vital for setting some goals for decluttering. Once you know what’s causing the clutter and where it tends to end up, you’re ready to tackle it!
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A Fresh New Year
Throughout the month, you’ll notice a theme with our tips: creating collection points for stuff that becomes clutter. Your Fresh New Year doesn’t have to be about rigid, tedious systems. In fact, we encourage you to make it more of a journey in making homes for the objects that you value– and creating an outbound path for those you don’t.
Being mindful of your space and where your things go to live can make flowing through your day so much easier and relaxing. Take some time at the start of this fresh new year to think about what, in your space, is creating clutter. If you need a bit of extra help evaluating and decluttering your space, contact us! We can’t wait to help you reign in that chaos this month, and start off this Fresh New Year right.
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