2020 is the year to get organized!

It’s the start of the New Year and that means setting goals for the year ahead! Getting organized is at the top of many people’s to-do list for 2020, but finding the motivation to just get started can be difficult. Where does one start? How does one start? There are so many aspects involved with getting organized - from your home to your work to your family, organization affects every part of your life. To help you get started, we’ve outline a few resources you can use to help you get organized:

Peter Walsh’s #31Days2GetOrganized Challenge

It’s not too late to follow along with the famous organizer’s 31-day challenge, which focuses on organizing and decluttering a different space in your life each day during the month of January. This challenge has been going on for a couple of years now, and all of his daily videos can be accessed from his YouTube page here. The simple videos are easy to follow along with and can help you get started by focusing on only one task or one room at a time. This way, organizing doesn’t seem so overwhelming, and you can work on tackling each space throughout the month and beyond.

Organize 365 Podcast

Get helpful organization tips on your way to work, while you’re exercising, or whenever you listen to podcasts. Organize 365 explores new topics weekly - everything from decluttering an office space to organizing your weekends. The podcast is available on most streaming services, and a full up-to-date list on all the episodes can be found online here.

Simplify Magazine

This magazine is published on a quarterly basis and was started by Joshua Becker, the founder of Becoming Minimalist website. In each issue, you can find new tips and resources from organizing experts on how to live a more simple and organized life. The digital magazine can be accessed online here - readers can access the first issue on “Happiness” for free.

Ask the Organizer at Calm Order

Feeling stuck? Have a quick question you need answered? Submit your question to Calm Order’s Ask the Organizer page, where our team will respond to you with some helpful advice so you can continue working on your organization project. You can even visit the page to see solutions for questions that have previously been submitted. If you’re looking for more in-depth advice, you can also check out previous posts on our blog or contact us for a complimentary half-hour discovery meeting to see how we can help you best meet your organizing goals.

Post-Holiday Organizing

The holiday season might be over, but that doesn’t mean the work is done! Once the celebrations are over there is plenty to clean-up, go through, and put away. From decorations, to presents, and all the leftovers, there is a lot to do. To help you get through the busy post-holiday season, we’ve outlined a few tips on how you can stay on track of what needs to be done:

1.     Use up the leftovers

Holiday meal leftovers are inevitable. There will always be plenty of extra turkey with all the fixings, so after the holidays are over, try and clear out room in your fridge by using up the leftover food. There are many different recipes you can make with the leftovers that go beyond just reheating the food – from turkey pot pie to turkey soup, sandwiches and other casseroles, leftovers can be remade into new meals you can take to work for lunch or enjoy for another meal. If there is still food leftover, try freezing some of the food to extend its shelf life. Just don’t forget that you have the food in your freezer!

2.     Go through your gifts

Most people just want to be able to enjoy the gifts they receive as soon as they get them. However, there are always times when clothes are the wrong size, something doesn’t work when its opened or needs to be assembled before use, or you get a gift that just isn’t right for you. Take stock of all the items you received and make a pile for anything that needs to be returned to the store. Make sure you have the proper gift receipts attached to the gifts so you don’t encounter any issues when you go to return. Check out how long you have to exchange the gift too – if you don’t have to go right away, then plan to make the trip later in January when the stores aren’t too busy.  Another pile can also be made for any clothes, blankets or other items that need to be washed or altered before use. This should be more of a priority so you can use your new gift as soon as possible! For gift certificates, tickets, or other time-sensitive gifts, make sure you take note of the use-by date and set a reminder for yourself on your phone or calendar so you don’t forget it. Lastly, make sure everything is put away in the place where it belongs, whether that is your closet, kitchen or toy bin.

3.     Put away the decorations

It might not be as much fun to take down all the holiday decorations as it was to put them all up, but your home can’t stay stuck in the holiday season forever. Start by removing all the boxes and bags from your storage and sort out what items need to go where. To make the decoration take-down seem less overwhelming, work on one room at a time. You don’t have to do it alone either – get your whole family, or even some friends, and make an activity out of the clean-up. If the weather is nice, it would also be a good time to take down any lights or outdoor decorations before they are forgotten in the New Year. This is also a good time to go through your decorations and take note of anything that needs to be replaced, like any burnt out light bulbs, broken garland strands, chipped ornaments, or broken branches. Make sure these items are either fixed or properly disposed of and set a reminder in your phone or place you regularly check to replace these items in time for next year. Once all the boxes and bags are packed up, return them to their proper storage place.

4.     Catch up with the people you couldn’t see

There never seems to be enough time to visit with friends and family over the holidays, and sometimes it is just easier to catch up in the New Year when the holiday activities are over and schedules free up. Once the regular routines set in, it can be hard to remember to plan a get together with the people you weren’t able to see over the holidays. Instead of saying you’ll just catch up in the New Year, set an actual date for later in January or even February so you have it booked and in your calendar before other activities start booking up. Make a serious commitment to get together, not just a general agreement to do “something sometime soon.”

5.     Start planning for next year

It’s never too early to think about next year! Often there are a lot of sales over Boxing Day and into the New Year, so you can start thinking about gifts early on. Start planning a shopping schedule to space out your spending and not make gift-giving as much of a financial burden. You can also take the time to plan out any new decorations you might want to purchase or make for the holidays next year and start saving any new recipes you come across for baking or holiday meals. Just make sure that anything to find or make is saved in a place you will remember so you don’t duplicate any of the items next December!

Avoid holiday clutter! Black Friday is Coming!

With holiday products now available in most stores, and a major sales weekend coming up, it can be hard to refuse the allure of buying and accumulating more. This is especially true when many of us have the excuse of buying gifts, hosting parties, and feeling stressed. However, there is a way for people to prevent themselves from overbuying and adding more clutter into their lives over the holidays.

Take stock of what you already have

Before you even step into the grocery store or shopping centre, make sure you take a look around your home to see what you already have. This can save you from buying duplicates of anything or buying unnecessary items. For example, if you are doing holiday baking, check your pantry or the back of your cupboards for any leftover ingredients from the year before, or anything else that you can still use. This will keep you from buying another bag of sprinkles or more icing when you don’t need it.

In terms of holiday gifts, this is also a good idea, especially if you have been buying for people throughout the year. Sometimes it can be easy to forget a small item you may have purchased for someone back in March, so check all your usual storage areas and take a look at what you have already purchased for the people on your list.

Stick to the list

Now that you know what you have, make a list of what you need. This will help you stay on track while doing any shopping and curb any temptations to buy impulsively. Start by making a separate list of what food and drink items you  need for entertaining. Go through each dish you have on your menu, and what ingredients, condiments, serving dishes, and utensils you might need. To stay even more organized, group your ingredients into different categories based on the aisles and sections of your grocery store. This way, you can go through the store and get exactly what you need and prevent you from doing any unnecessary browsing through aisles where you don’t need anything.

For your gifts, make a list of everyone you need to buy for, and what they all need. For example, is it a small Secret Santa gift with a specific price limit? Is it a stocking stuffer, or a major gift? Is it for a co-worker, or a close relative? When you’re putting together their list, keep in mind what your relationship is and what kind of gift you want to give them. This will help you formulate gift ideas or know what to choose when you’re doing your shopping.

Know your limits

Holiday shopping can be expensive, so make sure you know what your budget is! Having your budget in mind can help keep you from overspending. Knowing what money you have to spend on gifts can also help when formulating your gift-giving list, and keep you from overbuying your gifts. When you’re shopping, keep in mind that you also want to reduce the clutter in other peoples’ lives, not just your own. So try and think of gift ideas that are not only cost-effective for you and within your budget, but also something useful and practical that your friends and family can actually appreciate.

The holiday season can be a big shopping holiday – but this year, try to avoid the temptation to add clutter to your home and spend more than you have. Consider your shopping needs carefully before you head to the store, know what you actually need and what you already have, and make sure you follow your budget. This way, you can enjoy the holidays without any shopping or financial regrets when the season ends.