The holidays are over…and as I begin putting away decorations and bringing my festive home back to reality I pause and reflect on the new year ahead.  I really never set New Years resolutions for myself. My life is busy enough without adding pressure to meet personal goals that I really don’t have time to accomplish but when it comes to my house that’s a different story.  Without a doubt, organization is one of my top priorities every New Year.  I’ve got some great ideas that I think make life easier and help me get organized every year.

Toss anything that has not been worn or used in the last year.  This is hard to do but chances are if you have not used it in the last year you will not use it in the new year ahead either and why keep it if you are not going to use it.  Surely if the item is something that you dearly love like an heirloom or keepsake then by all means find the proper storage containers and put them away until next year and reevaluate those items again. The Hold Everything Catalog has many great decorative, storage, containers and options that will keep your precious items safe.

Don’t plan to do this to the whole house at one time or you will become overwhelmed and probably give up on your organization resolution.  It makes sense to begin with the most unorganized room in the house.  This could be a closet, office, playroom, garage or even the kitchen, wherever you choose to start, don’t panic.  Getting rid of clutter can be so cleansing  and you will find that most of your possessions have homes already they just need to be redirected to the right place.

Label, label, label.  I love to label. Whether it be files in the office, food in the freezer or boxes in storage, labels help everyone in the family remember where things belong.  If the family finds it easy to put things in their proper place then chances are you will arrive home to organization and not chaos and that makes for less stress and a nice relaxing evening.

Now, I won’t say that organization is cheap.  As a matter of fact you may find yourself building shelves, buying dividers, and stocking up on baskets and bins. Don’t dismay… modern storage is made nowadays to enhance your home decor so if you see yourself spending a little more than you planned just remember, the more attractive your storage is, the more pleasurable it is to use–and the more likely you are to stay organized.

Karen Ussery, expert organizer from HGTV, has developed a checklist that helps me stay organized one day at a time the whole year long and once I get one room finished I take pride in the fact that I’ve taken a step toward lifelong organization with good storage habits for my whole family.