4 Important Home Organizational Projects to Start Any New Year

I recently shared my solution for how procrastinators (such as myself) can gain more progress with new year’s resolutions. This is a method for achieving success not only in the first couple of months but the entire year. With this plan, you can avoid the flood of ideas on the internet, because seriously — most of them just aren’t geared towards those of us who are easily distracted by the next shiny, blingy thing. 

My solution is to divide your long, intimidating list of things you want to accomplish into subject categories, then working in only ONE category at a time. Start with a category you can finish quickly, giving you motivation as you continue with another category.   

I have many tasks and projects to complete for 2021: Writing, Health, Home Organization, Homeschooling, Reading, and Technology. I have already finished my Reading category to have immediate progress and success. Next is Home Organization.  

While currently working in my Home Organization category, I decided to share part of my list, highlighting 4 important organizational projects to start any new year. If you are a procrastinator like me, you can still get something started, even though it’s already February!  

1.   Clean out ONE closet.

Don’t work on more than one closet at a time, or it will be too intimidating, and you may not finish. Begin with the closet used the most, which is probably your personal clothes closet. Take stock of what you really like and wear often, and discard items that don’t fit well or you never liked anyway (even if the tags are still on them). Box all items and immediately take them to your car for your next trip by the charity shop. 

If you find any items that should not be stored in this closet, put them in a box and move them to a central area of your home so things can be grabbed and stored in their correct places. 

When finished with the first closet, you may be motivated to move on to a second. If not, come back to this task after finishing another in this list.  

2.   Clear the freezer and refrigerator of expired items. 

Especially after the pandemic of 2020, you may have stored items in your freezer that were not used. Now is the time to make use of those items (plus, it will be helpful for your current month’s food budget), share, or discard. 

Not sure how long you should keep items in the freezer or refrigerator? Visit Real Simple for a helpful chart that lists food expirations.   

3.   Purge the kitchen pantry of unused and expired items.

 Again, you may have extra canned foods purchased during quarantine that no one in your family wants to eat. If not expired, take them to the food bank, where donations are needed and always welcome. (Please don’t donate weird and unusual foods – this list on Feeding America tells you everything you need to know about the best foods to donate.)

4.  Prepare your desk. 

There is nothing more discouraging then to have a messy, disorganized workspace when you need to pay bills, complete a project, or work on your computer.  Some tasks you may want to complete:  

• Gather documents for taxes (file in a manila envelope so it’s ready to go),
• Buy birthday and anniversary cards for the year (attach Post-It notes to remember who the cards are for), 
• Reassess your budget and file check statements (physically or digitally),
• Shred all paper items not needed for taxes or other references during the year, 
• Wipe down the desk thoroughly and put away any items that do not have to be within constant reach. 

Of course, there may be many other tasks and projects you want to complete. Still, I find that these 4 important home organizational projects are an excellent starting point.  

And speaking of organization: this shouldn’t be said, but — if you haven’t yet done so, it’s time to store your Christmas and holiday decor. Don’t be one of “those people.”  Please. 

What organizational home projects do you like to complete
at the beginning of the year? Share them below!