Show of hands — who actually kept their 2021 New Year’s resolutions? It’s okay, I think the pass we gave our 2020 resolutions can be extended through 2021.
This next year, we could all use a reset and some reorganization. Thankfully, the New Year is a great time to do that! If your New Year’s resolution is to get more organized, we have some amazing and practical steps to help you accomplish that goal.
Why Small Steps?
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New Year’s resolutions are more likely to fail when they’re big and lofty goals. If your resolution is as broad as being more organized, it can get overwhelming and you might not even know where to start. Then you’ll end up like me: in December and completely unaware of the promise you made to yourself in January.
The key with New Year’s resolutions is to start small. Create small habits and goals that will add up to one big resolution. If you want 2022 to be the year you *finally* get organized, do it! But understand that Rome wasn’t built in a day and all of your goals won’t be accomplished by the end of January.
Here are some small steps, habits, and products to help you get organized for the new year.
Implement the One Touch Rule
This is one of the best ways to get organized and keep a tidy and clean house. The one-touch rule simply means when you pick something up, you don’t put it down until it’s in the right place. This will help you organize the clutter in your house and never add to it.
I also find that when something is just sitting out, I’ll stare at it all day and never do anything about it. Keep yourself accountable and follow the one-touch rule. You can also implement it with your family where you all follow the one-touch rule. This will make your kids’ rooms much cleaner as well!
Give Everything a Spot
I think everyone is a little guilty of this. There are things that just lie around our houses and there’s no need to put them away. Plus, who really wants another junk drawer? Thankfully, it’s (almost) 2022 and there’s no need for junk drawers anymore! Grab a label maker, get some bins and baskets, and start to organize! I do this with my paper as well — all of my loose papers and notes are in labeled folders, so I know exactly where to find everything when I’m searching. It makes getting organized much easier and you can have some fun decorating your new baskets! Also, if you do have a designated “junk drawer,” find drawer organizers for it! These will help create some order in the chaos.
Clean Out Everything
There is no better way to start fresh than by doing a deep clean! I am a firm believer in getting rid of anything you don’t use. Whether you want to sell your clothes online or go to your local shelter or Goodwill, cleaning out your closet will never be a mistake. You don’t have to just stick to your closet, either. If your kitchen gets cluttered, look into refrigerator organizers, pantry organizers, and spice organizers too! There are so many amazing organizers out there right now (and cleanfluencers are so fun to watch, too)!
Fix One Thing a Week
This one pains me to write because I am a pro procrastinator. Yes, some weeks will get ahead of you and other weeks there may be nothing to fix. But spend time creating a list at the beginning of the year of small projects you’d like to start. Whether it’s a fix, an improvement, or a change, the list will help you keep organized and you’ll be able to fix some things around your house that you’ve been staring at for weeks. Start with small, bite-sized pieces to help you not get overwhelmed when something new breaks. This will also give you a new project every week!
I have a list a mile long of small things that I want to do, but I don’t need to. It can be as simple as taking the clothes you don’t want to Goodwill or selling them. I have a bag of clothes that’s been in my car since May, I just haven’t gotten around to it. It can also be a bigger project, like painting a room or recovering a chair. And let’s be honest, when was the last time you replaced the batteries in your smoke detectors? This list isn’t going to be glamorous, but it’s going to help your life improve so much.
Make One Family Calendar
How often do you plan something, go over it with everyone, and then on that day someone realizes they have a conflict? This happens all the time and there’s absolutely no need for it. Make a family calendar for everyone to share – whether that’s an app like the Calendar or Cozi apps, or genuine calendars where everyone can schedule something. Websites like Snapfish let you create a personalized wall calendar with your family’s picture on it! You can even have some fun and get a wall calendar that doubles as a dry erase board. And of course, color code everything! I’m a huge sucker for these fine pens that come in every color of the rainbow and I use these dry erase markers every morning to color code my own schedule!
Meal Plan
I’m so bad at sticking to a meal prep schedule, and I write them!! I get it, frozen pizza and fast food are sometimes your best friends. But this year, let’s try to stick to meal plans. Whether you cycle through your favorite recipes on a rolodex or recipe book, check out our weekly meal plan every Friday, or subscribe to a meal delivery service, make this year the year you actually keep to your meal schedule! If you want to keep track of your meals, you can also use a wall planner for your weekly dinners. Take one day a week and decide what theme you’re going for the next week. Look ahead and see how busy you’ll be and decide what dinner to have on which night. It will make everything so much easier, and you can even meal plan as a family!
Get a Planner
I know, another planner that you might or might not use. It’s slightly humiliating how many planners I’ve thrown away because I don’t keep up with them. If you have this problem, I suggest looking into a bullet journal. They’re completely customizable and you can make their layout whatever you want! You can even add a space for your New Year’s resolutions if you want, or you can stick to a structured daily planner. If you’d rather not plan specific days, look into to-do lists that match your style.
Go Through Your Apps
Digital clutter is almost as bad as physical clutter. I get anxious every time that little red notification pops up on my phone, and I know I’m not alone in that. If you’re one of those people who has an email inbox in the six digits or has thirty unread messages, take some time to go through and declutter your phone! Even if you have a ton of storage, there’s no need to keep everything on your phone. Go through your contacts or your photos and delete them as well.
Happy New Year!
Whatever you do this year, take it easy on yourself! There’s always a rush to get your resolutions done and figured out. The past few years have been anything but easy and predictable, so it’s okay if you’ve gotten a bit unorganized in the hubbub of it all! We hope you have an amazing New Year and you find success in all of your resolutions!
What are your resolutions for this year? Comment below!
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