One key to the success of any new-year #organization effort is your mindset: One must be ready to #declutter decisively. To get started, Simply + Fiercely suggests trying the “snowball” method. Pick an item you already know you want to #trash or #donate, such as a shirt you never wear. “Look for concrete reasons why you don’t want that item anymore. Can you identify any other items that have the same characteristics?” Finding and eliminating similar items can help speed #decluttering, limit the saving of “just-in-case” #stuff and build #organizational skills. #NewYearNewlyOrganized
Author: Jordank
Editorial Coordinator
Why You Should Declutter in the New Year
#Decluttering is the first step in any plan to get #organized in the new year. “It’s important to let go of what you no longer need or want,” says Better Homes & Gardens. “It’s silly to create space for something that doesn’t belong anywhere, so don’t be afraid to #toss or #donate the items that no longer serve a purpose in your home.” Start with a small area and get rid of the easy stuff first — expired food and medicine, ill-fitting clothing and #tchotchkes that don’t fit your #decorating aesthetic. Schedule #decluttering sessions on your calendar; even just a half-hour of targeted decision-making done regularly will get you more #organized in no time. Happy New Year! #NewYearNewlyOrganized
A 10-Minute Decluttering Strategy for 2025
With only hours left in 2024, you may be contemplating how to make the new year more productive in a number of ways. If one of your #resolutions is to become more #organized and none of the usual methods have helped so far, maybe it’s time to try a new strategy. Nourishing Minimalism suggests taking just 10 minutes a day to #declutter a space. Once you have #trash bags, #donation boxes and #storage bins in place, it’s a “psychologically manageable” strategy that allows consistent #decluttering efforts to build into real results. Set a timer and get started; in a few weeks, you’ll have a more streamlined space. #NewYearNewlyOrganized
Observing Boxing Day Traditions
The Organizing Blog’s favorite holiday is nearly here, and it isn’t Christmas, Hannukah, Diwali or Kwanzaa. It’s the day practically everyone pays attention to how much stuff they have and where they’re going to put it — Boxing Day!
Observed on the day after Christmas, Boxing Day got its start as an occasion for wealthy English landowners in to present servants and tradespeople with #holiday #gifts. The box — filled with seasonal delicacies and trinkets — was a gratuity recognizing their contributions over the year.
Boxing Day continues to be a holiday in many parts of the former British Commonwealth such as New Zealand, where anyone working gets time-and-a-half. And retailers in the United States use the occasion as an excuse to mark down merchandise and shore up holiday sales figures.
We regard Boxing Day as having a meaning that’s arguably closer to the original and more literal: a day to box up your holiday decorations and extra merchandise and give it to a worthy service provider or charity.
You can observe Boxing Day on Dec. 26th or any day of your choosing. Have some empty boxes ready to collect extra decorations and household goods, clothing that didn’t quite fit this season, books that have been read — whatever you no longer need.
Sort those things out as you bring a close to the holidays. As you see the boxes fill up, set them aside in a special location. As the boxes start to pile up — and this will happen faster than you might imagine — #schedule a #free #donation #pickup at ClothingDonations.org.
Put anything you will continue to use back into their proper, designated places in closets, drawers and bins. And know that you will be getting rid of some of the #clutter that has built up and be able to start the new year more #organized.
Your #donations go to a good cause: supporting programs that help the nation’s #veterans. And thanking #veterans — those who served — by giving merchandise is about as close to the original meaning of Boxing Day as you can get.
Where to Shop for Organizing Gifts
Whether you’re shopping for a #holiday #gift or for yourself, there’s a lot to be said for things that help #store and #organize #clothing and other merchandise. While the most obvious is The Container Store, you can look to more than two dozen retailers for a variety of innovative home #storage products, Real Simple says. #Decluttering queen Marie Kondo has a line of stylish #organizers for at home and on the go, for example, and big-box retailers such as Target, Home Depot and Ikea offer bins, shelving and accessories. #Organization and style often go hand-in-hand, and many retailers are offering expedited shipping to get #gifts in time for Christmas.