The new year always feels like a fresh start. A chance to do something new and make changes. If you’re ready to kick off 2023 in a new way, why not start your new year by getting organized? That clean slate needs a clean place to call home. Organizing your home can reduce the feeling of chaos and confusion, allowing you to focus on the new resolutions you just made. 

Declutter

Declutter may be the first thing that comes to mind when people think about getting organized. But that may also be quite overwhelming for some. Clutter just seems to accumulate out of nowhere. Reducing clutter can be the first step to getting organized in the new year. 

Decluttering doesn’t have to be as stressful as it sounds. Start by breaking down the task by room or area and tackling it bit by bit. You’ll find it a lot less overwhelming this way. 

Next, use the three-category system: keep, toss, or donate to decide if you should get rid of things or keep them. You can also help narrow down these categories by asking yourself if you have used it within a certain time frame. “Have I used this in the last six months or year?” or “How likely am I to use it in the next six months?” If it’s just collecting dust, it will probably continue to do so. 

You can break this process down over a few weeks, so it feels less overwhelming. In the grand scheme, a few weeks of your time to tackle the clutter will make the rest of your year feel amazing. 

Get organized

If you’re going to work hard to reduce clutter, the next step is to make sure you’re organized. Everything needs a home to prevent getting cluttered again. Do you have an organizing system or do you need one? 

Don’t become overwhelmed in the process of creating one. Maybe the one you had last year works just fine, or maybe it’s time to freshen that up too. Consider your storage options. Do you need new storage, filing, or organing bins? 

Also, think outside the box. Literally. This is a great time to start filing your paperwork digitally rather than sorting and stacking papers. You can also work on going paperless if you haven’t to reduce the need to sort.

Think about how you can organize each room in a way that works for you and your family. New bins for toys, shelves for books, wracks for shoes, etc. Options are endless and adaptable. 

What stresses you out?

You might also need to consider what stresses you out. The thought of doing this work can be stressful. It might also be a relief. If you make a game plan, it can be less stressful. 

While planning it out, think about what you need and who you need. Yes, who. While you think more hands make light work, will more hands make more stress? If this is the case, involving your family in the decluttering and organization process may not be the best idea. That’s something to consider. 

In Conclusion 

Start the new year off right and get organized. Decluttering can help you organize and feel good about your space for the rest of the year. Make decisions about what you need, what you want, and even who will help. 

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Bio

Brandy Hall, Nurse Writer, turned a passion for patient teaching into content writing. She teams up with health and wellness providers to improve patient health and relationships. By creating easy-to-understand patient education content, she helps patients understand their health without complex terms and jargon. Now she explores the world through creativity and adventure as a mom and military spouse.