5 Essential Tips to Start The New Year

It’s the beginning of another new year. And if you are like me, you always start the New Year off with good intentions. Then, if you are REALLY like me, you open the freezer; see the ice cream and well… So this year I decided to be easy on myself…and my family. I’m not striving for perfection. Far from it. Just Enough. Organized enough (yes, even me!), good enough, exercise enough, done enough. You get the idea. No more resolutions or unobtainable goals that set us up to fail.But I know we are all looking for a few usable and practical strategies to get us organized in the new year. So I’ve put together a list of a few items that have helped me get “organized enough” through the years. Let me know how they work for you! And of course, please feel free to share some of your own “to-dos” with me.

Create an Emergency Survival Kit.

So many hurricanes, fires, and storms…do I need to say more? There is a reason this is number one on my list.

Make a list of your family’s doctors AND all the medications everyone takes...

including dosages. Make sure it is retrievable no matter where you are (Google doc, Dropbox, etc.) I even keep a list of when the next appointments need to be made. Do you remember the last time you were at the dermatologist for your full body check? Exactly!

Corral old photos and home movies.

Time to get them onto a DVD. There are tons of wonderful services out there that will take all the old pictures and put them on a disc for safe keeping. Same with your old home movies. And don’t forget to make time to watch them too!

Time to give your Mailbox a Makeover!

Take a hard look at the magazines, newspapers, catalogs, etc., that pour into your house on a daily basis. That goes for email subscriptions too! Unsubscribe by going to DMAchoice.org for easy one-stop UNshopping!

Wear Everything in Your Closet.

It is not enough to just say you want to keep something. You need to actually wear it for it to truly earn a permanent space in your closet. Wear each item of clothing for a day and see what happens. You’ll be surprised at the difference between “keepable” and “wearable”. Feeling conflicted about getting rid of your clothes? Check out Tradesy, Poshmark, ThredUp, and Crossroads to earn so dough for your discards!


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Do you want family members to practice being just organized enough too? 

Our article, Do You Have Different Organizing Styles Living in Your Home? is definitely a must read!