More times than not, new year organization is on many homeowners’ to-do lists. And with 2022 finally here, now is the time to kickstart your new year’s resolutions into high gear. If your home is in need of some decluttering, and you find yourself overwhelmed with items you no longer need, we’ve got you covered. We reached out to organizers and decluttering experts across North America, from Hudson, NH to Surrey, BC, to give us their best tips to help you get organized in the new year. From creating a home inventory to getting creative with storage, read on to see what they suggest.
Adjust your mindset
For every space in your home, the first thing to ask yourself is, “How do I want to feel when I walk into this space?” This question can instantly help give you clarity on items that are maybe not working to help you create the vibe you want in your home. – The Fun Sized Life
Be intentional with every item you have in your home
My number one tip for new year organization is to create intention with every item you choose to keep and with every space you reset. Do the items you are organizing in a particular space fit? Do they physically fit in the space? Do they fit the intention of the space? Do they bring you joy? Are they contained in a way that is consistent with the overall intention and aesthetic of your home? When you are intentional with each item and intentional with each space,everything has a purpose. Take it step by step, and pretty soon junk drawers, landing zones, clutter piles, and the stress that come with them will be a thing of the past. – Reset Your Nest
Let go of things you don’t use
The best advice one can give regarding new year organization is if you have not touched, used, or thought about it, it’s time to let it go. Before you start a project, plan your attack. Always take a before and after picture. In the future, it will provide you with the motivation you need to keep your home/office tidy. Lastly, sort and edit – find a permanent, out-of-sight home for things. – girlFriday
Create a home inventory
In the event of a disaster, a home inventory records what you own. Whatever technique you use to create your home inventory, remember to be thorough and store a copy elsewhere. For example, keep an electronic copy in the cloud or leave a hard copy with a friend or relative. Also, keep an eye on your home inventory and update it annually. Using this method, you can add or remove things from your collection. – True Assisting
Use the “Visibility, Accessibility & Flexibility” standards
Choose containers that are either clear or that can be easily labeled. Make sure that items you use most frequently are the easiest to access and the products you use less are higher up or in a space you don’t need to access often. Select storage systems/organizing systems that are adaptable to your changing needs so that you are more likely to keep the systems up and organized should changes happen. – Home Harmony
Use the OHIO principle when it comes to your possessions
While the OHIO principle (Only Handle It Once) isn’t really realistic when it comes to paper, it does work when it comes to your possessions. When you come through the door at the end of the day, where do the mail, coat, hat, keys, and other items from the store that you’ve picked up on the way home go? Rather than dumping them on a chair or the kitchen counter, if you take just a few extra moments to put things away in their designated homes when you walk in the door, your spaces will remain organized and clutter-free. – Lisa S. Griffith, CPO®, Griffith Productivity Solutions
Preserve print photos and albums in cool places
Basements and attics are popular places to store items not used every day. However, basements and attics are far from ideal places to store photos, thanks to the fluctuations in temperature in attics and dampness in basements. Print photos and albums are best preserved in cool, dry places, so moving them to a closet, for example, will help prolong their life and save them for future generations. – Past Present Pix
Organize media by type and theme
When organizing pictures, group similar types together like prints, digital sources, albums, home movies, or slides so that you can see what you have. Organize them by theme (vacations, people, locations) or by date taken. Then purge. Get rid of duplicates, blurry shots, or ones you can’t identify. – Picture This Organized
Don’t forget your legal documents
Legal Documents are most important. Assign beneficiaries, label photos & keys, note passwords. Ask yourself, “do my possessions excite me, serve a purpose, and do I still love them?” Inspire a new look using items you own in your home and always organize & downsize when possible. – Stuff the Clutter
Improve the productivity of your home office
If you work from home, invest the time it takes to ensure your home office fully supports your workflow, mood, and energy levels. First, choose the right place. You may have a room that seems perfect for a home office, but if you find you’re naturally drawn to another area, then follow your instinct and make that other space work for you. Then, streamline your space for easier workflow. Be ruthless about what you really need to perform your work, and perform a thorough cull of old files and anything else before investing in unnecessary storage. Improve your productivity, and your circulation, by investing in a standing desk, and alternate sitting and standing to perform your work. – Cory Cook
Stop buying portable hanging closet organizers
They take up too much space and provide cubbies in which items must be folded neatly to look organized. Instead, invest in new, velvet, no-shoulder bumps, space-saving hangers. – Welcome Home Organizing, Staging, & Feng Shui
Use door organizers to take advantage of space behind closet doors
There are a lot of products available on the market designed for that purpose. Hats, shoes, purses, jewelry, or gift wrap are just a few examples of items that can be stored in that underutilized vertical space. – Cincinnati Organized
Use square or rectangular products over round product
To maximize storage space, choose square or rectangular organizing products instead of round ones. When you place round organizers next to each other, you lose the space where the organizers curve. This really adds up, so get the most out of your space by sticking with square or rectangular bins, baskets, and containers. – Annmarie Brogan and Marie Limpert, co-owners of Organize Me! of NY, LLC, and co-authors of the book, Beyond Tidy: Declutter Your Mind and Discover the Magic of Organized Living
If you don’t love it or use it, be ok with letting it go
Donate useable items to live their next life at someone else’s place or sell it if it’s something that holds monetary value to you. Take it one drawer or closet at a time to get a feel for purging; when things are pulled out everywhere it can get overwhelming. Give yourself time to take the time to get it out, sort through it, and make good decisions. When putting it back together, keep like items together to make them easier to find. – Such a Neat Freak
Have a donation bag ready
Keep a ready-to-fill donation box or bag handy in a closet or garage. When you try on clothes that no longer fit or flatter or items begin to fill up your cabinets, drop them in the donation bag. Don’t put them back in the closet or cabinet to sit there longer. Do a little purging as you come across things, have a designated place to put the unwanted items, take the bag or box to donation when it is full, and repeat all year long. – Organizing Wonders
Create a system that works for you
The universal steps to organizing any room in your home are getting rid of all trash, taking everything out of the space that doesn’t belong, and finding a home for everything that’s left. Creating a magazine-ready room isn’t practical in every situation. As long as you have a system that works for you and your family, it’s a success. – Lia Brady, Organize With Lia
Be creative with storage
In the city, we are always short on space. Consider vertical storage as a solution. Get creative using the height of your walls as a way to add more storage space. – Sort it Out Philly
Sort ahead of time when moving
If you’re planning to move and feel you have too much stuff, then you can start sorting your belongings now to save time and money. Although you’ll spend some time upfront sorting out the excess (tools, clothing, kitchenware, linens, knick-knacks), you’ll not only save money on moving supplies and relocation costs, but you’ll save even more time with less packing and unpacking. Start with the kitchen and open cabinets and drawers to pull out utensils, pots, pans, mixing bowls, and small appliances that haven’t been used, and set the items aside for a donation. Continue working throughout the house – CDs, DVDs – anything not used for years – especially large or heavy items. – Michelle Marie Solutions
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