We spent the holidays ripping open peculiar packages and shiny objects wrapped in foil. We’ve filled our drawers with new sweaters and socks. Our countertops are cluttered with gadgets we’ll scarcely use.
It’s the new year now; time to set goals, clean closets, and get organized for what we hope will be a highly productive year ahead.
With that in mind, here are 5 ways to become organized without even trying…because who needs another ambitious list?
1. Be Consistent
If you’re like me, you spend a ton of time looking for your keys, tracking down your phone, and finding that one obscure sock. While I can’t say where the socks end up after they enter the dryer (although I do have a Bermuda Triangle-like theory), here's how you can keep track of the rest.
Avoiding that early morning frenzied search for objects requires consistency. That means you put things in the same place, consistently. Start by finding a home for your must-haves, and then put them in their rightful place.
Place a hook near the door for keys, a station on the counter for your phone, and baskets around your home for various items you use often.
2. Don’t Hoard
You’re out shopping and you see a fabulous coffee mug displaying the cutest dog in Down Dog pose. It seems perfect for you. Enjoy your cute ceramic piece for a moment, chuckle at its cartoonish design, but do not buy that thing!
Here’s why: you have 13 equally quirky mugs at home, all of which are capable of holding hot liquids as they were intended. So for the sake of being more organized, and having less to clean and care for within your home, say no to dog mugs and whatever else you’re guilty of hoarding.
3. Opt Out
You have 3,000 unchecked emails in your inbox and a pile of credit card offers and catalogs on your coffee table. It’s nice to be noticed, but all that clutter can really make the room feel small, and your life seem chaotic. Why not opt out of all that garbage?
Look for ways to unsubscribe and get your name off lists, but more importantly, stop giving out your personal information and you’ll reduce the onslaught of mailings. Save some trees, and save some space in your inbox too!
4. Delegate
I used to believe that if you wanted something done right, you had to do it yourself. Now I know that mentality is for the overworked and highly critical. Nowadays, I settle for the mediocre, and man, is life easier!
Ask yourself, what work am I willing to delegate? Lose your grip on perfection and accept how others manage those tasks you’re handing off. That may require some extra time on the mat to get your mind in the game, but so be it.
Easing up on the outcomes and just enjoying the journey is the yogic way.
5. Become More Charitable
You’ve got more shoes than a small village, and you could use some serious square footage in your closet. It should not take so long to find the perfect outfit for a Saturday soiree. But it does, because you have way more stuff than you need.
If that's true, it’s time to become more charitable.
You don’t have to make a day of cleaning out closets or sifting and sorting through endless piles of potentially donate-able things. Simply leave an empty box in the closet, and toss in a sweater here, a too-small pair of pants there. Whenever you come across something you could stand to get rid of, add it to the box.
In no time, you’ll have fewer things and a sizable charitable donation. Doesn't it feel good to be a giver?
How are you getting more organized this year? Leave your comments below.
