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: trash
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
Practicing Ecofriendlty Consumerism
#Holiday shopping is in full swing, and that may have many readers spending not-insignificant amounts of money in an attempt to check everyone off their #gift lists. While getting with the spirit of the #season is a worthy goal, buying all of that #stuff has an impact.
U.S. #holiday spending is expected to grow to nearly $1 trillion in 2024 — a truly staggering amount. And while some of that spending will result in great #gifts and cherished memories, Americans generate 23% more waste in December, according to the Center for Biodiversity.
Many of those gewgaws you select take considerable resources to manufacture and ship, and most will eventually wind up in landfills. Many will contribute to household #clutter. That’s why it’s important to practice #ecoconscious consumerism.
Consider buying (and requesting) secondhand gifts, Business Insider suggests. Buy Nothing groups can help locate quality used toys and clothing, and the #thrift stores stocked by generous #donations to ClothingDonations.org are overflowing with one-of-a-kind finds.
Another way to spend sustainably is to give experiences rather than hard goods. Tickets to sporting events, concerts and the theater make thoughtful gifts, and add to the excitement by creating a whole new outing. A gift certificate for a personal care service such as a massage or manicure pampers without creating a lot of trash. Many of these services are local, meaning that you’ll support your community with real dollars and limit the carbon footprint required to manufacture and ship merchandise.
Even a gift card is an ecofriendly gift idea when you don’t know exactly what to get and don’t want to give something that will just get tossed. Americans wasted an estimated $9.1 billion on holiday gifts that were exchanged, sold or thrown away in 2023, according to Finder. Another way to limit your environmental impact is to limit the use of disposable gift wraps. Although festive, they contributes to waste; consider reusable bags or get creative with fabric wraps instead.
You can have a fantastic holiday while creating less #trash. It take a little forethought, but your efforts will pay off with less indoor clutter, a healthier #earth, and good cheer among family and friends.