11 Steps for Organizing Your Home in 2023
There’s nothing like entering a brand new year to give you that urge to organize, especially if you’re planning on selling your home.
But that doesn’t always translate to action. Often, the prospect of organizing your home can quickly become overwhelming. That’s why breaking it up into small steps is crucial.
Here, we’ve got 11 easy steps to take to organize your home this year.
1. Prioritize by room /space
Nothing will stop you in your tracks like the thought of organizing your entire home. That’s way too large of an undertaking to consider all at once. Instead, prioritize your efforts by room, or even parts of a room. There are a couple of ways to go about this:
Start with the area that is the most cluttered and is causing you the most angst (i.e. a junk drawer or kids’ art cabinet).
Or start with the area of the home that isn’t as cluttered, but will give you the most satisfaction (your family room, or the kitchen).
If you need a quick win in order to help motivate you, stick with the second approach. If you’re ready to take on the thing that needs the most help, go for approach number one.
Some of our favorite areas to organze are linen closets and pantries. Visual clutter can cause overwhelm. When everything has a home it is easy to stay sane.
SHOP OUR FAVORITE LINEN CUPBOARD ORGANIZATION SOLUTIONS
SHOP OUR FAVORITE PANTRY ORGANIZATION SOLUTIONS
2. Set a timer
Contrary to popular belief, organizing your house doesn’t require you to set aside an entire weekend. Instead, set a timer each day for a small amount of time—15 minutes, even five—and tackle what you can before the timer goes off. Why not make the timers part of your design? The OrgaNice Hourglass Sand 30 and 5 minute Timer set will help you stick to your clean up challenge goals.
3. Focus your energy on one small area at a time
Just like you don’t need to organize for a weekend straight, you also don’t need to go room by room if that feels like too much. You can start with a single drawer or shelf—whatever feels doable and will give you a sense of accomplishment.
4. Find any unused storage spaces in your home and use them
You might be surprised how much storage space in your home you aren’t using!
Under bed storage in particular can be useful for things you don’t need to pull out too often, like seasonal bedding or clothes.
And if you don’t have any unused storage space - create some! I loveample amounts of closed storage to hid that visual clutter.
A good looking Filing Cabinet can double as bed side tables in a secondary bedroom/home office. Check out our Vintage Brown Filing Cabinets. The perfect solution for all that paper work. Beautiful and Functional - a winning combo!
5. Get beautiful baskets and bins to give everything a home
Sometimes, all you need is a pretty container to make a space look instantly less cluttered. Beautiful baskets, bins, and holders can be used to get items off a counter or out from under a sink and make them easily accessible.
Click on images below to purchase.
6. Get rid of any items you haven't used in the past year
Have a panini press you used once taking up space in your cabinets? Shoes you haven’t worn since college? Now’s the time to dump them. Donate them to someone in need or offer them to a family member.
7. Pay special attention to kitchen counters
Kitchen counters are one area in particular that can quickly get cluttered, and the kitchen is one room that potential home buyers always pay close attention to. Invest in organizational items like charging stations, sorting baskets for papers, and drawer organizers so you can keep as much stuff as possible from ending up on the counters.
8. Designate a "catch-all" station and empty it once a week
All your organizing efforts will be for naught if you aren’t able to maintain them. Choose a decorative bin, box, or basket to use as a catch-all, and designate a specific day to empty it each week.
9. Schedule regular time for continual decluttering
Beat back any encroaching messes by scheduling regular decluttering sessions. Wardrobes are always worth re-evaluating and de-cluttering. We love designing spaces that allow for lots of storage and organization. Good design helps foster healthy habits. If you are ready to take your clean closet to the next level check out our Ultimate Design Guide for Creating Your Dream Walk in Wardrobe
10. Keep a box or bin available for donations
Just like your catch-all container, it’s a good idea to have a designated “donations” box going at all times, too. This way, as you come across items you no longer need, they can go into the box right away.
11. Get donations and recycling items out of the house within a few days
Since you don’t want your decluttering efforts to result in more clutter, make sure to get your donations and any items you’re trashing or recycling out of the house within a couple of days, at the most.
Not only will this make you feel lighter and your home more organized, but it also prevents anyone (especially the kids!) from looking through the box and deciding to keep something they’d forgotten about.
Organizing your home this year doesn’t need to be an all-consuming project. By sticking to these steps and breaking everything into smaller pieces, you’ll be on your way to a decluttered house in no time.
We hope you have enjoyed our suggestions to keep your home happy and organized!
Some more storage solutions to keep you organized and sane!
NEAT METHOD is a service we love! They can help you bring your home from chaotic to composed! Their expert organizers create beautiful, sustainable systems based on your needs and lifestyle. From getting that picture perfect organised laundry room or kitchen pantry to full moves and re-loctions, they offer a variety of services and solutions!
For further reading and wonderful organization solutions check out The Home Edit!
A great guide from the Instagram-sensation home experts known for their pristine organization, innovative approach, and bright aesthetic (with a serious fan club that includes Reese Witherspoon, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Mindy Kaling), this book includes an accessible, room-by-room guide to establishing new order in your home.
Happy clear out, may the new space and less clutter give you peace of mind and room to grow!
