Organizing in the New Year

The beginning of the year is a great time to get organized. This morning I was able to share some of my favorite tips on getting your family organized on Mornings with Fox 43 with Abby Ham. Here are my tips on how to get your life organized in this new year! 

Baskets!! 

This is my favorite way to make your house look good and to cause very little stress. A big basket is a great way to gather anything and make the room look picked-up. We use baskets like this one all over our house. One in my son’s room holds all of his marble track and train track pieces. We have one in the living room holding the random assortment of toys the kids play with in the living room and another one beside it that holds blankets. Being able to throw everything in a basket cuts down on the time it takes to pick up significantly.  

Get rid of  

I tackled my closet and eliminated all of the extra clothes that I had, but never wore. I cut it down to 40 hangers. I don’t include undergarments, jeans, leggings, or work out clothes, but everything that gets hung counts in this number. I have to love everything I have because I don’t have room to keep clothes I just don’t like. It sounds daunting, but I love it.  

Memories

This “One Line A Day” book is perfect for keeping track of all of the sweet things you little one says and does. It’s good for 5 years and has space to jot in anything about your little one. I love to write when they do something funny, say sweet things, and when they have their firsts. It’s so great!

Plan 

Planning out my schedule helps me stay organized. I rely heavily on my planner. I write everything down in it. With three young children with doctor’s appointments and other things, not to mention keeping up with mine and my husband’s schedules, I need to write it all out. This is step 1 of organization for me.  

Papers 

My philosophy — out before they’re even in. Walking in from the mailbox and you’ve got a bunch of flyers or advertisements that you won’t need? Recycle them. Throw them away before you ever bring them in your house. Otherwise they lay down, get cozy, and begin to form a home with all of the other papers and flyers, and before you know it, they’ve built a whole community. Out before they’re even in. 

In-limbo papers 

Not all papers can be trashed. Hello bills. For papers that will need attention in the near future but not at this exact minute, I put them in a magazine box. They look neat and are not in a random pile, and are somewhere that I can easily get to when I need them.   

Keepsake items 

Some papers or things are worthy of saving. I don’t have the time on an average day to store away super special things, so to make my life easier I keep a memory box out that I can throw keepsakes into any time. When the box gets full, I spend a little bit of time sorting out where each item goes for long-term keeping. But until then, it stays in the box with the lid on it where it just sits looking pretty. Not messy and not in the way of daily living.

School papers 

I love every precious craft, coloring page, handprint, and artwork my sweet kiddos bring home from school. It makes me smile and love their teachers even more. But if I kept every one of those, my house would need to be on the hoarder’s show. I love them, but I can’t keep all their stuff. I also want to remember what they made when they were little, and their work is important to them, too. To solve my dilemma, I take a picture of everything they bring home. After the school year is over I print each of their pictures of their work in a book (Chatbook, Shutterfly, etc.).  We will always have it without it taking up all the space. 

Happy organizing to you! Do you have any other tips you’d like to share?