![\"Storage\"](\"https:\/\/the-storage-inn.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/home-organization.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Get Organized – Every time the calendar flips from one year to the next, millions of us resolve to lose weight, quit smoking or reduce debt. But have you given much thought to getting your house in order? Are you tired of staring at all of those boxes crammed with clothes you haven\u2019t worn in 10 years or with toys your kids haven\u2019t touched in five years?<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe new year is a perfect time to stop procrastinating, and start organizing your home and life,\u201d said <\/span>Donna David<\/span><\/a>, a professional organizer in New York City.<\/span><\/p>\n Here are 12 tips to help you get your new year off to a well-organized start.<\/span><\/p>\n To prevent that frustration, Spetalnik said, make resolutions like, \u201cI will do my shopping using a list rather than trying to remember what I need.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Kim Oser<\/span><\/a>, a professional organizer in the Washington, DC, area, said your calendar must be portable, whether it\u2019s in paper or digital form. That way, you can mark down appointments and other calendar-worthy events when you\u2019re on the go.<\/span><\/p>\n For example, make your bed daily, pay your bills weekly and clean out your wallet monthly.<\/span>4. Set Manageable Goals.<\/b> \u201cThere may be more than three but these are the three things that must get \u2028done,\u201d Oser said. \u201cIt allows you to build them in to your day rather than panicking at \u2028the end of the day.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOne of the biggest misconceptions is that a room can be transformed\u2028 into an organized area in a matter of minutes,\u201d Giles said. \u201cMost rooms or offices do not\u2028 become disorganized overnight but rather over months or years, so it will\u2028 require hours or days to work through the contents of a space and restore\u2028 its order.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Also, register online with the <\/span>Direct Marketing Association<\/span><\/a>to cut down on junk mail, said <\/span>Barbara Reich<\/span><\/a>, a professional organizer in New York City. \u201cLess paper clutter means less stress,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cEveryone needs to be involved,\u201d she said, \u201cand take ownership of completing their responsibilities.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n If you and your family lack motivation, consider <\/span>hiring a professional organizer<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThat person will not only de-clutter your home, but bring some sanity to your life,\u201d David said.<\/span><\/p>\n In addition, you\u2019ve got to be flexible with your organization plans.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cJust\u2028 as our lives and schedules continually change,\u201d Giles said, \u201cthe way we <\/span>organize our homes<\/span><\/a> \u2028and offices will also need to be re-evaluated and changed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Get Organized – Every time the calendar flips from one year to the next, millions of us resolve to lose weight, quit smoking or reduce debt. But have you given much thought to getting your house in order? Are you tired of staring at all of those boxes crammed with clothes you haven\u2019t worn in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-71","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-get-organized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/the-storage-inn.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/the-storage-inn.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/the-storage-inn.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/the-storage-inn.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/the-storage-inn.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/the-storage-inn.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":92,"href":"https:\/\/the-storage-inn.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71\/revisions\/92"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/the-storage-inn.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/the-storage-inn.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/the-storage-inn.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
\n<\/b>Simply put, don\u2019t bite off more than you can chew.<\/span>
\n<\/span>\u201cPeople usually make a resolution that says something like, \u2018I\u2019m going to get my home and office totally organized this year, and I will never misplace anything again\u2019,\u201d said <\/span>Maria Spetalnik<\/span><\/a>, a professional organizer in the Washington, DC, area. \u201cThis is not only unrealistic but would take so long that they usually run out of steam before they even see results. Then they are frustrated with themselves and have often created a bigger problem than they started with.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n
\n<\/b>This includes reminders, vacations, tasks and anything else \u201cto help you kick\u2028 forgetfulness,\u201d said <\/span>Amber Kostelny<\/span><\/a>, a professional organizer in Chicago.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n
\n<\/b>\u201cCreating routines to\u2028 accomplishing tasks will make sure even the mundane things get done around\u2028 the house,\u201d Kostelny said.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
\n<\/b>Either at night before or in\u2028 the morning, jot down your three most important tasks for the day, Oser said.<\/span><\/p>\n\n
\n<\/b>Rather than taking on a massive organizing project, break that project up into pieces, like getting the corner of a room into shape, not the entire room, said <\/span>Beth Giles<\/span><\/a>, a professional organizer in Portland, OR.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n
\n<\/b>Don\u2019t bring anything new into your home unless you know where you\u2019re going to keep it, said <\/span>Barry Izsak<\/span><\/a>, a professional organizer in Austin, TX.<\/span><\/li>\n
\n<\/b>Every time a piece of mail or any other paper comes into your home, act on it right away, and then either file it or pitch it, Izsak said.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n
\n<\/b>Delegate organizing tasks to every member of your household, said Donna David, the New York City organizer.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n
\n<\/b>Organizing doesn\u2019t end when you\u2019ve completed the first sweep of your home. Organization is an ongoing process, said Beth Giles, the Portland organizer. For instance, you\u2019ve regularly got to pick up stuff around the house and put it in its proper place.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n
\n<\/b>All sorts of technology is available to simplify home organization. For instance, a company called <\/span>HomeZada<\/span><\/a> produces home management and organization software. The online software lets you create a home inventory, set up a home maintenance calendar, manage home improvement projects and track household expenses\u2014all in one place.<\/span><\/li>\n
\n<\/b>\u201cMark down each day that you make successful\u2028 strides toward keeping your resolutions,\u201d said Bob Sadowski, marketing manager for PR and social media at <\/span>ACCO Brands Corp.<\/span><\/a>, which sells At-A-Glance, Day-Timer and Day Runner calendars. \u201cPut a big red \u2018X\u2019 over that day on \u2028your calendar. By seeing the chain of success, you\u2019ll be motivated to keep \u2028it going.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n
\n<\/b>\u201cSet monthly milestones where, if achieved, you can \u2028treat yourself to something fun,\u201d Sadowski said. \u201cMake it a fun reward, like a night out to\u2028 enjoy dinner and a movie.<\/span><\/li>\n