By Janice M Simon, The Organized Auntie
December 30, 2019
January is "Get Organized Month" and the start of a new decade is a good time to clear out and move forward! It's time to declutter and make room for all that is to come in the next decade. I've created a list of 31 organizational tips for each day in January to help you and your nieces and nephews organize your
spaces and lives.
Your Papers and Documents1. Magazines. Go through your magazine stack. Recycle the ones you’ve read or aren’t going to read.
2. Catalogs.
Now that the holidays are over, it’s time to clear out the vast pile of
catalogs that arrived in the mail. Dump them into the recycling bin.
3. Mail. Go
through the stack of your old mail, toss the junk mail if you haven’t
already and open up everything that looks like a bill or something
important. If you need to take action, add it to your to-do list. Shred
anything with an account number and scan in anything you need to keep.
4. Bills. Capture
your due dates for each of your bills on your digital calendar, set
reminders if necessary, set up automated bill-paying for the ones you
feel comfortable to do, and utilize on-line bill paying tools. While
you’re at it, take a look at some of the bills and call up the companies
to see if you can get a lower rate or eliminate services you don’t use.
5. Calendar. Avoid missing a birthday or anniversary
by entering the dates on your email calendar. Then set your calendar
entry to email you a few days ahead of time. You will look like a
thoughtful genius.
6. Essential Documents. Make copies
of your Social Security card, birth certificate, marriage license, will,
power of attorney, living will, and passport. You can store digital
copies on your cloud storage. You should be able to access your
essential documents quickly, and a family member or close friend should
know where to find your information in case of an emergency.
Your Digital Life7. Photos. We
take so many photos on our phones these days, and we are surrounded by
more and more digital photos. Make sure they are uploaded to a cloud
service so you won’t lose your photos if something happens to your
phone. My phone photos are automatically uploaded to
Dropbox when I hit a wifi signal.
8. Email. Tired
of reading a blog or receiving sales ads from stores you don’t frequent
any longer? Clean up your email by unsubscribing from them. Sort by
name or size to do mass purging of your email.
9. Social Media.
You can delete boards on Pinterest that you no longer have an interest
in. Create Twitter lists of your
favorite Twitter Feeds so you can easily access the Tweets you’re most
interested in. On Facebook, unfollow or hide Pages, Groups and even Friends you no
longer want to see in your feed. Just unfollowing or hiding a few pages dramatically
improved my ability to see my friends on Facebook. Do the same with Instagram, Snapchat and Tic Tok.
One important caveat: If you're not already Following and Liking SAVVY AUNTIE on social media, click on the links here to connect!
10. Laptop.
Use the cloud to store your documents and photos, and make sure you
have a computer back-up service and virus protection. Delete software
you no longer use and clean up old files.
11. Apps. Delete apps that you don’t use. Don't worry; if you change your mind later, you can reload them.
12. Passwords.
If you haven’t changed your passwords in a while, change them up. Make
sure they are as strong as possible to slow down hackers.
Clothing and Accessories13. Shoes and Boots.
Ditch the footwear you no longer wear or are uncomfortable to wear and your regret purchasing them every time you put them on. Polish
the shoes and boots that need it and repair the ones that need refreshing. A quick trip to the shoemaker can make old shoes and boots look new again.
14. Underwear, Bras and Socks. Sort through your underwear and sock drawers and toss out the ones past their prime. New York Magazine's the Strategist
lists some of the best underwear organizers on Amazon for 2019.
15. Shirts, Pants, Skirts and Dresses.
Divide your closet up into sections and tackle each area. Go through
each piece and put it aside if you don’t wear it, don’t like it, or it
doesn’t fit. Yes, it may have been on sale, but if you’ve never worn it,
it’s taking up valuable real estate in your closet and going to waste.
Donate the items that are in good shape and toss anything that’s ripped
beyond repair or stained. You can also sell items as well.
16. Scarves, Belts, Handbags, and Jewelry.
Accessory time! Divide up your accessories and tackle each section.
Like with your clothes and shoes, put aside the things that no
longer fit your life. Donate the pieces in good pieces or sell them. Or, give a niece the pieces that are now too young or juvenile for you so she can enjoy them.
Your Home17. Pantry. Read the expiration dates and throw out
the expired stuff and anything that has changed in appearance. If there
are items that are still good but you don’t want to eat them, donate
them to your local food pantry. Wipe down the shelves and put everything
back so you can see what you have. If you want, you can put an
inventory on the inside of the pantry door.
18. Freezer.
It can be scary, but pull everything out of the freezer. Ditch the
stuff that is past its prime, wipe down the freezer, and put everything
pack. It helps to organize things so you can see what you have. You can
even put an inventory on the freezer door.
19. Refrigerator. Pull
everything out, toss the expired stuff, and wipe down the refrigerator
shelves. If you want, you can create an inventory of what you have and
post on the door, or you can keep a magnetic shopping list handy to
write down things as you run out.
20. Craft Projects. We
may have had great intentions to tackle a craft project or create an
awesome scrapbook, but the craft is gathering dust. If it’s not going to happen, it’s okay. Rid yourself of the projects so you can rid yourself of the guilt for not completing a project.
21. Medicine Cabinet. It's time to get rid of expired drugs and make a list of what you may need to replenish. Don’t
flush old drugs. You can turn them in at your local pharmacy, or put
them in your trash by mixing them into food waste or coffee grounds. For more tips for safe and medication disposal, check out
BeMedWise.com.
22. Cosmetics and Personal Care Items. Toss
anything that has changed in color, texture or fragrance and get rid of the stuff you no
longer use or have ever used. Clean your make-up brushes and sponges with a little
shampoo and let them dry on a towel and make a practice of cleaning these items regularly. Clean out and recycle old hair care and skin care bottles and jars that you no longer use to make room to find the products you use regularly.
23. Shower. Take
a peek in your shower and tub and toss products that are empty or just
gross. If your metal shower caddy is rusty, it’s time to replace it.
If your shower curtain or liner are gathering mold, wash, wipe or throw away. While you’re at it, toss bathmats into the washing machine.
24. Junk Drawer. We all have one. Clear everything out of the drawer, go through it, or toss out the stuff that is broken, missing pieces, or you no longer need.
25. Collections. Actor
Dennis Franzen and his wife once said on a decorating show that they
collected items until the shelf was full, and then they stopped. For
most of us, collections ooze beyond a single shelf. If you are no longer
in love with your collection, reduce the size to your favorite pieces
and sell or donate the rest. Perhaps there are keepsakes a niece or nephew would like. If you still love your collection but want
to reduce the footprint it takes up in your home, rotate pieces each
season so it’s always fresh for you.
26. Books, DVDs, CDs and Video Games.
If you’re not going to - or able to - watch it, play it or read it again, purge your collections. Some money can be had in clearing out your
bookshelves. You can sell items on Amazon, eBay, Facebook trading sites,
half-price book stores, or
Decluttr (CDs, DVDs and games only). Paperback books can be recycled.
Learn more at Bookriot.com.
27. Stuff You Need to Repair.
It could be a missing button on a jacket, your favorite shoes that need
new soles or cracked screen on your smartphone. Gather up the things
that need repair and decide if you can
you fix them yourself or have someone else repair them. Then make it happen. Otherwise, ditch them now.
Your Mind28. Goals.
The new year is a great time of year to re-evaluate and set new goals.
You can do this by creating a vision board or brainstorming what you
want to accomplish. If old goals no longer serve you, give yourself
permission to let those go and focus on the new ones. Help your nieces and nephews set goals for themselves as well.
29. To-do List. To
take action on your goals, add items to your to-do list that help you
propel your goals forward. While you’re at it, take a look at your
current to-do list and eliminate the tasks that no longer serve you.
30. Relationships.
Toxic and negative people are a real drain on your best resource – you.
It’s not always easy, but eliminating those kinds of relationships
whenever possible will improve your mood and your mental space.
31. Your Mind. Take
care of yourself by getting more sleep and moving more. Meditation is a
great tool you can use to give yourself the time and space to stop and
regain your focus. A healthy diet and regular workouts - from walks to yoga to more intense classes - can help keep clear your crowded mind.
Here's to a happy, healthy and more organized 2020 and beyond!
Photo:
AntonioGuillemA version of list article as first published on January 4, 2015
It has been updated and republished for 2020.