If you’re eager to #declutter and get #organized in the new year but haven’t been successful in the past, Apartment Therapy offers five tricks you can use to make the process easier: (1) Invite guests over, forcing you to #clean; (2) Pretend you’re #moving and eliminate anything you wouldn’t pack; (3) Take a photo of the room and examine it to find what’s out of place; (4) Ask a Type-A friend to help; and (5) Turn off your phone notifications and set a timer for 15 minutes of power-decluttering. Then, contact ClothingDonations.org for a free #donation #pickup. #NewYearNewlyOrganized.
Tag: storage bins
Declutter Decisively With the Snowball Method
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
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
It’s Time to Clean and Organize the Garage
Meant to hold an automobile and (maybe) a few tools or outdoor items, the #garage tends to attract all kinds of #stuff. Out of sight and mostly out of mind, the garage can quickly become a dumping ground for old #clothing, #boxes of memorabilia, extra furniture, sporting goods and tons of other items that don’t immediately find a place elsewhere.
The change of seasons is a great time to clean out the garage and #organize the things that make the most sense to house there — including your car. But before you start to #purge and #clean, “think about how your garage can best serve you and sketch out a plan to achieve an end result you’re happy with,” says Martha Stewart.
Examine your garage #storage needs. Maybe you have a lot of sporting goods — bicycles, watercraft or camping gear, for example. Perhaps you’re an avid gardener and need a dry space to store shovels, rakes, the lawnmower and other equipment. And of course, anything to do with a motor vehicle and its maintenance should have a space here, too.
Once you have a plan, pick a mild day and empty the garage out. Dust the rafters, sweep and vacuum, and wipe down the flat surfaces. Eliminate common nuisances such as spider webs and wasps’ nests. Sweep and mop the floors with a soapy solution or something stronger if you want to get rid of engine oil stains.
Then, wipe down whatever you decide to keep in the garage and return it to a dedicated #space. “Now is the time to create additional storage solutions,” Martha Stewart notes, by installing overhead racks and shelves for boxes and bins, pegboard #organizers for tools, hooks for bikes and kayaks, and a bench for gardening equipment.
Anything that prefers climate-controlled storage such as paper goods and fabric items should probably find a home indoors in a (dry) basement or closet. And anything you no longer need or want that doesn’t fit into your newly #organized garage can go to ClothingDonations.org by arranging a #free #donation #pickup at your convenience.
A clean and organized garage might be a place where you’ll want to spend more time when the weather permits. You may even be able to park your car there!