Every New Year it seems that we try to promise ourselves that we are going to get more organized and declutter our homes. It’s a perfect time to use that new year resolution momentum to give yourself the motivation to finally get it done and we are here to help. Organization is no small task, but there are many ways to make it easier and feel less impossible. Decluttering can be great for your mind and for your physical space, providing more ease of mind and reducing stress. Whether it takes a weekend, or it takes a few months to finish your project, it will be worth it in the end!

The first steps to decluttering are deciding what to remove, how to remove it, and where to begin. Here are some tips on all three of those first steps:

What to remove

There are always options for decluttering your home. Things like expired food in your pantry, old clothes you never wear in the back of your closet, or even things you’ve been meaning to get rid of for a long time that you just never got around to. Now is the time! What is collecting dust, tucked into hard to reach places or dark corners? It may be a good thing to even go through book cases or movie collections!

How to remove clutter

It’s always hard to remove clutter because it seems too daunting and too large a task. It is tough to know just what to do with the various items you may have decided are okay to get rid of. It is hard to simply throw everything into a garbage can! Consider recycling, reusing, gifting, or donating. Find local food banks, thrift stores, or even places that will take your old stuff for cash! Anything you can’t easily donate, sell, or thrift can always go into recycling to eventually find a new and better life.

Where to start

Many times, even if we have the motivation and the ability to declutter, it is hard to find where to begin. Our tip for this is to simply choose one item to start with and stick to that. Clothing, food, books, games, old tools, etc.. You can just choose a category and stick to it until you have completed it. This way, you gain confidence and motivation to take on the rest of the many things that need organization. If you can fix your closet, you can fix your whole home.