It’s Time to G.O.: How to Get Organized for the New Year
January is Get Organized month. A new year with new goals; it’s fun to get inspired and write your resolutions out in a new journal: this year you want to get your home and your life the way you want it…organized! Stress and clutter-free. Goals can become extremely overwhelming, too. Read on for our favorite ways to help you start and stick to your organizing goals.
Set aside 15 minutes.
Shira Gill, professional organizer and minimalist, implements her “15 minute win” strategy to help people gain momentum and feel accomplished. You got this! Pick one area of your home- maybe it’s the dreaded junk drawer, night stand, or under the kitchen sink. Set a timer for 15 minutes and see what you can get done. Our favorite way to implement this is a “15 minute tidy up” at the end of each day to get rid of the clutter on the dining room table and whatever might have landed by the front door that accumulated throughout the day. A little goes a long way!
Sort what is already in the space into categories. Recycle, donate, or relocate what you don’t want and put back what you do. Maybe you want to invest in some bins to contain smaller items, we love these organizers for drawers. Once you realize what you can do in 15 minutes, you see how small wins lead to big change. Follow along with Shira on Instagram: @shiragill.
Bonus: She posts awesome content about sustainable living, minimalism, and has the most dreamy photos to keep you inspired!
Dig into your digital life.
Check out our recent blog post here all about digital organizing. Delete old photos, take control of promotional emails (the holidays are over, no need to continuously look for discounts!), and get your calendar up to date for a busy year ahead.
Get your kids on board.
Playrooms and work spaces can be overwhelming, especially after the holidays with time off from school. Get them into a new routine that includes tidying up and getting organized. We find kids love this organizer for all their creative needs and these page markers to keep their place in books for school and play!
Donation Resources
So you’ve accomplished your first 15 minute-win and that sent you spiraling (in a good way) to tackling more spaces. Now where do you bring all the wonderful items you’ve decided to donate? My first tip - see what you can sell online using platforms like Facebook Marketplace or Poshmark. Local consignment is another great option. You’ll be surprised at how many people want the items you’ve never used in the last few years. If selling your items is the route you’re going, make sure to give yourself a deadline of how long you’re willing to wait to sell something. The last thing you want is for an unwanted bag of clothing to sit in the basement for a year while you wait for it to sell! Still needing to get rid of things? Luckily we’ve compiled a list of local options.
Our Top 5:
More Than Words - Books & gently used clothing - Empowers system-involved young adults to take charge of this online, retail, pop-up, and wholesale bookselling business
Solutions at Work - Clothing - Provides homeless and low-income individuals and families with resources such as professional attire to aid the job re-entry process
Cradles to Crayons - Toys/Kids - Offers low-income families the necessities for children, birth-12 years of age a variety of items such as clothing, diapers & toys
Household Goods - Furniture - Helps furnish homes for victims of disasters, veterans, survivors of domestic violence and people in need
MSPCA - Pet Supplies - Accepts donations to promote animal care, wellbeing, and prevent cruelty
You can view our full list here and if the items you’ve gathered are not able to be donated, check out our disposal resources here.
Need professional assistance?
You can view our services here and set up a phone consultation here.
We would love to see what you’re up to! Tag @tldboston @shiragill and #15minutewin on Instagram to share your organizing goals and progress with us.
