A new year is upon us! It’s a time to start fresh, and what better way to move forward than to organize your home.

January 14 is Organize Your Home Day. It’s a great time to take action and tackle some of those organizing projects that you have been meaning to do, but maybe haven’t had the time.

Organizing your home helps in many ways. It can help streamline your daily routine, it reduces frustration by making items easier to locate, and it clears areas to give you more room. Plus, if you are thinking of buying or selling a home this year, organizing your home now helps greatly when it is time to move.

Here are some items to think about when organizing your home:

Target Organization Areas

Areas to organize may be different for each person and home. Some areas to think about include:

• Garage
• Closets (hall, linen, bedroom, etc.)
• Dresser drawers
• Pantry and/or Kitchen cabinets
• Bathroom cabinets and/or drawers

Plan Your Time

Don’t get overwhelmed thinking about the time it will take you to get organized. Make a list of all the areas that need organizing and set a timeframe. Maybe you want to spend one hour on a specific room, or maybe you want to spend 15 minutes on one closet. Whatever the case, set a timeframe for your organizing that makes the most sense for what you want to accomplish and stick to it.

Plan the Process

Choose the area you are going to work on and have containers ready for each project. These containers could be Donate, Recycle, Trash, etc. Have these containers easily accessible to you so that you don’t break your stride while organizing. Also, if you are donating items, choose the organization to which you will be donating and plan a time to deliver the items.

Don’t Forget the Paperwork

Papers can accumulate quickly. Organize your paperwork and files so that you can access and reference information easily. File what you need and shred or dispose of what you don’t.

Taking the time to organize your home now can save you time and work in the future. Make organizing your home one of the To-Do items on your task list for the new year.