Getting Organized for the New Year

Calendars

Not having updated calendars is sure to cause chaos and confusion in the New Year. The very first thing I recommend doing is transferring birthdays, important dates, and meetings to a new calendar. I’ve found it best to have a digital version so I can refer to it on my phone/tablet while on the go, as well as a hand-written version at home that the family can refer to. I like to keep mine in the kitchen, where we collectively spend most of our time, so the kids know what each day will entail. It usually reads something like: carpool schedule (whose turn it is), if I’ll be working late (i.e. dinner with client, home at 8pm), and any extracurricular activities or meet-ups. Taking it a step further, I love to color coordinate our calendars. I assign a different color to every member of the family, and one constant color for activities that may be shared amongst multiple family members (i.e. all kids to school by 8am) or are recurring. This is extremely helpful in getting your family on the same page and giving the kids a responsibility exercise by memorizing and managing their own schedules. Starting the year off with a clear, concise, correct calendar will alleviate any of those midnight panics where you shoot out of bed wondering, “Is it my turn to bring the kids to school tomorrow?”

Kitchen

New year, new food! It’s time to ditch the old and out-of-date items in your pantry and refrigerator. Refer to my article here for an in-depth breakdown on refrigerator organization. I always like to start by completely unpacking the entire fridge/pantry. There’s no easier way to get started than a clean slate. As you decide what you need to hold on to and what needs to go, consider investing in clear storage bins to keep items of similar items/families together as you place them back in the pantry/fridge. For example, some of my bins are “breakfast bars”, “spices”, “fruits”, “bagged snacks”, “juice boxes”, etc. This strategy of labeling bins helps with finding items quickly and speeding up the school lunch process. Bonus: it also makes your kitchen look tidy and beautifully organized. Win-win!

Closet

I live by the rule, “If you haven’t worn it in a year, it’s time to go.” Clothing styles change all too quickly, and if you haven’t worn an item in over twelve months, the chances of you doing so in the upcoming year are slim. Winter is a great time to donate clothes to shelters and charities, or even organize a clothing drive at your children’s school. There are plenty of families in need of clothing, and I’m positive you’ll be able to find some pieces in your closet that will be greatly appreciated by a new owner. Plus, it’s never a bad idea to start the year off with a little good karma (and extra closet space for your new holiday gifts)!

Some tools I like to help with closet organization are shoe racks, top shelf bins (clear, so you can see what’s in them) and jewelry stands. The important thing is that everything is visible. It’s all too easy to forget about your black scarf because it’s shoved in the back of your closet, which leads to purchasing a duplicate, ultimately causing you to waste money and produce more clutter. Keep in mind, I don’t literally mean everything should be out on display; please feel free to keep your undergarments, pajamas, etc. in drawers. But organize these drawers so that upon opening you can easily see every item inside, not piled on top of one another creating a buried mess.

I hope you find these New Year organization tips helpful! Do you have another area of your home you like to organize at the start of the year? Let me know in the comments. And as always, my team is here to help! Reach out to us at 214-383-9985 for a consultation where we’ll create a game plan that is focused on your needs and goals.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Tonia