Organize + Energize: Simplify Your Home For the Holidays
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
How many of you shove items in the closet during the holidays just to clear the clutter? Do you shift items from room to room instead of decluttering and organizing the room? You don’t feel like taking the time to tackle the project, or maybe you don’t have the skill set to tackle the project. What if you could tackle the project and never have to hide things or shift items around again?
How does your home make you feel this time of year? Is it one more stressor you have to deal with? Make a plan and start with the room that gets the most traffic during the holidays.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTDeclutter. Just focus on decluttering. Don’t worry about where your “keep” pile is going to be stored. The minute you think about where something is going to go, you will get distracted, lose focus and nothing will get done. Once the clutter is cleared, you will have a clear vision of how you want to function going forward.
Get the paper out of the kitchen. Tackle this once and for all and set up systems to help you maintain your organization going forward. The goal is to get paper out of the kitchen and into a home office or small area in the home dedicated to filing and processing paper. If you can’t get it out of the kitchen, have an area where the paper is contained and organized.
Organize your kitchen. Are you cooking for the holidays? How are you functioning in your kitchen? Declutter and organize. You want to be as efficient and productive as you can in your kitchen. Empty your food pantry and toss expired foods. Categorize and itemize your food pantry for easy access.
Guest rooms. Are you hosting guests this holiday? Declutter and organize their room. Keep the room airy, light, and peaceful. You want to create a serene atmosphere for your guests. Trust me; they don’t want to be surrounded by clutter. Follow the same process for the guest bathroom.
High traffic areas. Declutter and organize the areas that your guests will see, especially the entryway. Don’t let a cluttered entryway be the first area your guests see when they arrive. They will immediately form an opinion about your home. If you have a hall closet where you will be storing your guest’s coats, be sure this closet is organized and you have enough room to hang their coats.
Less clutter equals less cleaning. We all want and need more free time around the holidays. When you get organized and have systems in place, less time will be spent cleaning. You can use that time for more important things.
Grab a pen and paper. Overwhelmed by the whole process? Don’t know where to begin? Walk through your home with a pad and pen or a camera. Walk into each room and stop at the doorway. Jot down or capture with your camera everything that you don’t like about the rooms. Is there a room that makes you uncomfortable or stressed? Is there a room you would like to spend more time in? If so, that is the room you want to start in.
You are creating more work for yourself when you shift items to another room or throw items in a closet. You are creating more work for yourself by loading and unloading the areas. Have more free time, less stress, more energy and save money this holiday season. Simplify.
Kristin Carcieri-MacRae, the founder and owner of Organizing in RI, has always enjoyed finding creative ways to streamline the environment around her. She has appeared on air on Patricia Raskin's Positive Business Radio and her articles have been published in the Rhode Island Small Business Journal and New England Home Life. Kristin's CD, Organizing Basics, is a 1-hour guide for the person who wants to get organized but doesn't know where to start. She is also available for organizing workshops. Tune in to her radio show, Organize, Energize! on http://www.talkstreamradio.com.
Related Slideshow: 5 Organizing Blunders
Avoid these mistakes and your project will take less time than you expected. You won’t be as stressed or as overwhelmed as you anticipated. You will be amazed at what you have accomplished. You will be motivated and energized to tackle another project.
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