If your home is cluttered and chaotic, it can be hard to relax and spend time with your family and friends. However, by taking a few simple steps to organize your home, you can turn it into a peaceful oasis.
While getting started is often one of the hardest parts, maintaining your tidy home can be just as tricky. That’s why we’ve reached out to the top organizers from across the country for their best advice. Whether you live in an apartment in Boston, MA, or a house in New Haven, CT, use these tips to create a peaceful home.
1. Incorporate organization into your resolutions
To truly organize your home, it’s important to commit and set achievable goals. The beginning of a new year is the perfect time to do this. However, your goals must be small and achievable; many goals and resolutions are large and unreachable.
“An easy way to set yourself up for success is to set goals that fit into your routine,” says Sarah Parisi, owner and founder of The Clutter Curator. “For example, schedule one cleaning session or donate five items every month.”
2. Ask yourself why you’re holding on to so many items
Before organizing any one room, dig into your attachment to your belongings. Many people tend to hold on to items out of fear or resistance, creating a feeling of being stuck and held back. To help resolve this, the team at Prune & Bloom suggests grabbing a pen and journal and asking yourself these questions:
- What do I want?
- What’s one thing that’s standing in the way?
Next, identify a local charity that accepts your items. Then, when you feel attached to something you don’t need, you can remind yourself that someone else will benefit from it.
3. Remove everything before organizing
Instead of sifting through boxes, bins, and drawers looking for something to donate, remove everything and “place similar items together,” notes Stephanie King, owner of Status: Organized. “Then, clean and reorganize everything before moving on to the…