Seven Places to Reorganize for the New Year
I am an unashamed maximalist. I want to keep everything that may have some semblance of sentimental value. For me this includes mugs, ticket stubs, and even dead flowers. No item is too big or small to be cherished. The pitfall of this habit is that I can err on the side of keeping things that have no meaning at all! Consequently, every quarter or so, I end up having to clean out my desk or my closet and hauling off bags of unwanted things to the appropriate place.
As we approach the new year, a friend of mine shared her annual deep-cleaning ritual with me and I am inspired! I have selected seven areas to purge and clean to prepare myself and my environment for the newness that awaits.
And though I have no intention of abandoning my sentimental inclination, I aim to establish new habits of curating my collections on the front end. So instead of just cleaning these areas, I am following the guidance of organizational experts so I can establish a better system.
1) Car
I travel a lot for work. Which means, my car gets filled with trash and other leave-behinds quickly. It does not take much time to clean it out and run it to the car wash (which I end up doing rather frequently), but I wanted to establish a system to break my messy car cycle. I started by making a list of things I want to keep in the car (2 camping chairs, tissues, reusable grocery bags, extra hair ties, etc.), then I identified a better system for those items. For example, I added a small bag to the glove box to keep loose jewelry, bobby pins, and hair ties that I often expect to have on hand in my car. I also made a trash plan. And a loose change plan. All the plans.
2) Kitchen storage
My kitchen is narrow and I do not have a pantry, so space has been an issue. We started somewhat organized but over time have ended up trying to cram things in the cupboards or drawers that just could not fit. I started by taking everything out, tossing out anything expired or unused, and arranging by accessibility. Frequently used items within easy reach, seldomly used items further back or higher up. Using bins, I reorganized my cupboards, drawers, and counter tops.
before
Ultimately, this is what helped me accomplish my goal:
Relocate spices to a clear bin or a rack (after checking expiration dates, of course.)
Instead of throwing things on top of the fridge, use a bin. I found one short enough to slide between the fridge and cupboard above it.
On that note, I caved and bought a step stool. This helped maximize the higher spaces. There were two cupboards, one above the microwave and one above the fridge, that were previously unused.
Consider accessibility. For me this means finding ways to use the depth and height of my cabinets and drawers. Adding bins or small shelves nearly doubled what I was able to store and easily access. *Measure height and depth before buying anything.
Clear off the counters as much as possible. This one was hard. I ended up getting a wine rack and small shelf to help with the items that had no where else to go.
Utilize wall hooks.
after
3) Closets
I know folks like to wait until spring for this one, but hear me out. By this point in the season, if you haven’t worn a certain sweater, you likely won’t. By going through your closet now, these seasonally appropriate items can be donated and put to good use while they are still relevant. Any coats, boots, sweaters etc. that have remained unworn can be cleared out. Another perk for doing this now is that it creates room for those new gifts you may have acquired over the holidays.
Accessibility, once again, defined this reorganization. I have alternated between shoes and bags on my side racks but this time I did a combination of both. I put my most frequently worn purses and shoes on the two left shelves. This makes it much easier to take and replace on a regular basis. I also used bins for the shoes I seldom wear (read, stilettos), shoes out of season, smaller bags, and travel gear.
And once I cleared out a load for Goodwill and removed the formal wear to a hall closet, there was space for my clothes to breathe.
before & after
My closet refresh included clothes, shoes, and bags, but don’t stop there! Here are a few other closet areas I turned my purging gaze to:
Jewelry
Linen closets
Games/puzzles
4) Desk
This one is a common pain point for me. It seems no matter how often I clean it out, my home desk is cluttered again in no time. Start by going through your drawers and throwing out what you no longer need or returning items to their proper homes. After doing this, you will have a better idea of which items need a place created for them and can go from there. Some of these tips are inspired by others and some are ones I have found help me through trial and error:
Incorporate drawer organizers. I know it is obvious, but I never seemed to maximize these and so avoided them. What worked best for me was to only have a few very purposeful sections. There have been times I have used shoe box lids to organize drawers, they are quick and effective.
Create a system for floating papers. This instantly helps my desk remain tidy.
If you need more desk space, switch your desk lamp for a floor lamp.
Use hair claws to keep unwieldy cords in a loop.
Move files to a closet. Assuming they are accessed rarely.
Use items you like functionally and aesthetically. This helps unsure you actually use it!
before & after
5) Email Inbox
While we are at the desk, let’s venture into the virtual work-space. I spent less than an hour combing through several email accounts to unsubscribe from and delete unwanted mail. The small investment of time can go a long way in keeping your inbox tidy and helping you not miss anything worthwhile. Lord knows, I have allowed my inbox to get to an overwhelming state and overlooked something important.
6) Night Stand
This one is a quicky; you know what to do here. Take 15 minutes to put completed or abandoned books away (I would guess that nearly 50% of my clean up in most categories consisted of putting books away), throw away trash, and get rid of any unused items. My nightstand has no drawers so I added a little basket for smaller items and it really helped the area look more tidy. It actually made the entire room look instantly better. Reorganizing the night stand is a small time investment with a big payoff.
before & after
7) Wallet and/or purse
I change purses often so that stays fairly light and functional, but rarely do I change my wallet. I don’t know how it happens, but my wallet somehow gathers useless items. When I cleaned it out today, I found a hotel key card from who knows how long ago. I also found a gift card I forgot I had, so I guess that’s a win. Another quick but valuable area to comb through to help you start the new year feeling fresh.
Excepting trash, anything I wanted to get rid of, I donated to a local re-sale store. I also looked for any needed bins or organizational items while I was there before buying anything new. Ultimately, I was able to get the items I needed for all seven areas for under $200. I hope this journey is helpful as you prepare your environment for the new year. Let me know what spaces you reorganized this year-end season and if you encountered any useful tips along the way.
Good luck!