Getting NEAT & Organized in the New Year
When thinking of positive resolutions to set for yourself in the New Year, it’s easy to become discouraged about goals that may feel unattainable. One of the most popular and common New Year’s resolutions most homeowners make is to get your spaces organized and tidied up. After the holiday season, you may find your home cluttered with Christmas cards, old decorations, an influx of new belongings, and leftover food. While the task of purging and organizing can seem overwhelming, it only takes a few small changes to help make your spaces feel organized and put together. Follow these five simple steps to achieve a more NEAT and rejuvenated start to 2017!
1. First thing first; tackle the holiday clean up! Invest in proper and adequate storage for your holiday decorations. Right now is the perfect time to take advantage of post-holidays sales for storage solutions. Give yourself 30 minutes to eliminate items throughout the house that are no longer used or useful.
2. Ask yourself which activity is the most challenging for you. Is it when you get up and pick out your outfit for the day? Packing your children’s lunches for the week? Sitting down at your desk to take care of paper work? Once you have an idea of where you struggle on a regular basis, that is precisely the best place to start.
3. Purchase bins or baskets for playrooms, craft spaces, or children’s bedrooms. Utilize chalkboard tape or labels to create visual queues for children to help them clean up their areas with ease.
4. Designate 30-60 minutes of time to purge expired items around your home. Tackle the kitchen first and eliminate all perished foods and then move on to places like bathrooms. Getting rid of expired medicine, hygiene products, and old makeup is an excellent way to clear space in bathroom’s and closets.
5. Make it a habit to leave a bag or laundry basket in your closet to keep items you may want to donate. Having a constant reminder of neglected clothing or shoes to consign/donate will help you reinforce the habit to get rid of an item when a new piece of clothing is purchased.
Get NEAT and the year ahead may well be the best time of your life!
Written by Claire Dilts
Owner
NEAT Method of Indianapolis
www.NeatMethod.com