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Get Organized for 2010

Welcome to 2010! Congratulations on surviving another hectic, action-packed and gift-overloaded holiday season. You’re now faced with a brand new year and the opportunity to decide how you’re going to get organized and make the most of the next 12 months.

We have an easy-to-implement plan that is sure to get you off on the right foot. Read on for pointers on how to tackle some of the most clutter-prone areas of your home, and tips for keeping yourself organized and streamlined for the duration of 2010.

• Start with the closets.  Closets are always the black holes of otherwise organized homes. The surefire way to get them more manageable? Purge! This will require you to be brutally honest about what is and is not going to be used. Grab one trash bag per closet and resolve to fill each bag to the top with anything that doesn’t fit, isn’t in style or hasn’t been used in more than a year. Try storing bulky, off-season items in a Space Bag Storage Pack to further maximize your closet storage space.
• Give yourself some new tools.  Is mail clutter your problem? Then it’s time to invest in a mail sorter. Jackets and shoes strewn about the house? Then it’s time for a shoe tray and coat tree in the entryway. New Year’s is the perfect time to look at the organization challenges you face every day and figure out what tools will best help you stay clutter free.
• Store your holiday décor.  Make next year’s decorating process easier by storing things in a more effective manner this year. Check out our article about how to properly store all of your seasonal decorations more efficiently to save yourself the holiday headache next year.
• Organize your online life.  E-mail inboxes can be as daunting as the most cluttered basement when it comes to getting everything sorted. This year, resolve to not be bogged down by inbox insanity and create folders for different types of messages. Simply creating a “take care of now,” “read by end of week” and “take care of when I have time” folders will make sifting through your messages much more manageable.
• Show your car some love.   If you’re like most busy people, you do a lot of living in your car. Start the new year off right by giving your home away from home a clean sweep. Empty the trunk, restock tissues, maps, menus and other items you keep in the car, and give the car’s interior a good deep cleaning. If you consistently tote certain items around with you (sporting equipment, school gear) invest in Space Bag Higher Capacity Totes to store in the truck and keep items from becoming scattered.
• Observe the one-for-one rule.  Post-holidays we always have more stuff than we can use, and this is the first step in beginning the clutter cycle you’re trying to break! If you received something that replaces an older version you’ve had in the house, let go of one. This rule is especially applicable if you have children who see perhaps the biggest influx of stuff during the holidays. Any toys that have been replaced by new Christmas gifts, are broken or missing parts should be donated.