Have you added organizing and decluttering your home to your 2021 New Year’s resolutions? If you’re anything like us, then 2020 has been a year of packing on some serious baggage. It’s only natural to take the time this January to unload some of it.
It’s 2021, and it’s about time we start sorting out all that clutter we accumulated in 2020, but we know – it’s not an easy task. With the hope of keeping it simple, we’ve broken it down for you, starting with why it’s a smart idea in the first place.
The Benefits of Organizing and Decluttering Your Home
Let’s not pretend this is easy – organizing and decluttering can be extremely overwhelming. Every closet is packed with junk. Every time someone gets you a new nick-nack or trinket, you throw it up on a shelf. If you take one look around your living room, you might just want to throw in the towel. There’s just way too much stuff you don’t need and so little time.
It might feel impossible, but you need to fight that feeling. Organizing and decluttering can be extremely beneficial to your mental and physical health and well-being. The benefits are plentiful, including:
Saving Money. After this, you’re less likely to spend all your money on stuff you don’t need. If you do it the right way, you’ll probably even find a bunch of things you can sell, so decluttering your home can actually make you money.
Stress Reduction. Cleaning and organizing your home will give you more room to breathe and more room to think, thus decreasing your anxiety levels.
Getting Rid of Allergens. Where there’s junk, there’s more than likely dust. It’s difficult (if not impossible) to keep a room clean if it’s full of stuff. This makes it harder to breathe and upsets your allergies, which is the last thing you want during a global pandemic.
A Better Night’s Sleep. This one’s important for so many reasons. First, this will help you with your stress levels. If you don’t get enough sleep, you’re more likely to be cranky. Second, the better you sleep, the healthier you’re going to be, and that’s something we’re all concerned about going into 2021.
There are plenty of reasons to organize and declutter your home in the new year. These are just some of them. So, how do you do it?
3 Steps to Declutter Your Home in the New Year
As we said, it can seem super overwhelming at first, but the process is actually pretty straightforward. We’ve broken it into 3 easy, digestible steps for you to follow.
Locate.
You don’t have to start with an entire room or even one of your junk-filled, most disorganized closets. You can start small. The goal here is to finish, so go at your own pace. You are more than welcome to approach this one object at a time. It’s your house – declutter how you want!
If you want to move faster, we recommend going room to room, starting with the small rooms first. Gather every item in that room, then sort them using the second step in our process. If you’re incredibly serious about getting your home organized and decluttered fast, then you might want to set goals and follow a timeline. A schedule can help you stay on track, making it possible for you to finish before the year is over.
Trash or Treasure.
This is the decision step, and it’s as simple as it sounds.
If it’s a treasure, you keep it. But make sure you don’t fall into the classic decluttering trap. Be honest and ask yourself: does this object bring you any fulfillment or joy? Does it fulfill a purpose? Do you actually want or need it? These decisions can be difficult but remember your goal – you’re going to live a completely organized and decluttered life!
If it’s trash, then you have a few options. We recommend sorting them into different piles. Trash, donate, and sell. This’ll allow you to get rid of things that no one will want, donate things that’ll be harder to sell (but can ultimately provide value to another person or family), and make some money on the things you know have value.
Organize.
Once you’ve purged everything from your home, it’s time to get your new space in tip-top shape. You’ll likely have been organizing the entire time you’ve been decluttering, but you don’t want to underestimate this step. Organizing is super important.
Every item within your home should have a place to live. If you like intricate and well-managed storage spaces, make sure everything you’ll need is easily reachable. Having to dig around causes more clutter. If something doesn’t belong, run it through the steps. It’s simple, but stay diligent.
Remember – you don’t have to keep things you don’t want or need. Once you’ve done this once, you’ll understand the benefits, and you won’t want to do it again.
Now’s the Time
The new year is the best time to declutter and organize your home. Not only is this a time for resolutions, but it’s a time to shed all the baggage you picked up in 2020. You’ll have a bunch of new stuff, so it’s a perfect time to get rid of all the old things you don’t need. Plus, it’s a time of the year you get to spend on yourself. Organizing and decluttering might not sound like a worthwhile time investment but trust us – it is!
Are you looking to make other changes in the new year? The Welch Team is here to help with all your home and realty needs. Contact them today!
