What are your New Year’s resolutions? In other words, what do you want to accomplish this year? It’s a big question, and you can answer it many different ways. Popular choices among a lot of people involve some aspect of getting organized: downsizing, decluttering, fixing a problem area. Luckily, we here at Get Organized with Bridges + CO have seen it all, and we’re here to help with some tips to start 2017 off right.

Organizing your Holiday Décor

First things first—with the holidays coming to an end, it’s time to get your home back to its natural state. That means storing your lights, decorations, ornaments, and other holiday gear until next year’s celebrations.

If you don’t already have an organized system in place, NOW is the time to devise one. Surely the memories of untangling lights, searching for particular ornaments, and digging through many patterns of wrapping paper are still fresh in your mind? A few simple tips will help you now as you store everything, and set you up for success in your decorating for the 2017’s holiday season:

  1. You want to keep all your holiday decorations together in one place. (Since you only use them once a year, they can be put a little out of the way)
  2. As always, clear containers work best for visibility but a label or two can’t hurt.
  3. To remember exactly how your decorations were arranged, take pictures before you pack everything away. This will save you time when you go to decorate again.

Once you’ve returned your house to pre-holiday conditions, it’s time to get started on those resolutions!

Decluttering

Many people resolve to get organized for the New Year, and the first step is getting rid of all the unwanted or unused items that have accumulated over the past year (or longer!) This can be daunting, but my team is up to the challenge, and so are you.

Start with a photo. A snapshot of the mess you will leave behind. This is a technique I use with my clients, to show them the progress they make with each area of their home decluttered. I talk more about the idea of tracking progress this way in my blog on the clutter process—it’s a good read to get yourself ready to organize.GOWB-organizing-new-year-resolutions

Rules and Habits

Though it may seem like it, organizing isn’t a quick-fix or a one-time solution. It requires a sustained effort to keep your space clean and tidy once it has been revamped. My Golden Rules of Organizing should be observed even when you aren’t in the middle of a project. Just like individual items build up into a mess, individual right actions build up into good habits, and ultimately a better lifestyle.

As this article from Forbes says, the idea is to hold yourself accountable each day, no matter what your resolutions are. Staying organized is just a matter of forming the right habits.

Downsizing

This is a big one—no pun intended. Many people want to move, or have recently moved around the New Year. Smaller spaces can be great for getting unwanted items out of your life, and ultimately making you happier.

In fact, we at Get Organized with Bridges + CO are experts at this sort of downsizing. We’ll show you how to let go of items you don’t use anymore, how to use consignment stores and donation drives to give back as you give things up, and how to maximize your new space for a happier and healthier lifestyle.

Ready to Get Started?

With all this in mind, we’d like to extend our expert help to anyone who wants to get organized for the New Year. That’s why if you book a consultation in January, we are offering one FREE hour of organizing. That’s right: all new clients who book a consultation with us this month get an hour of free expert help for decluttering, downsizing, or any other organizing projects. Get in touch with us to make 2017 your best year yet.