Life gets hectic. It gets stressful, and it gets cluttered. Organizing your home can be overwhelming, but thanks to these Organizing Hacks for the New Year, it doesn’t have to be. Check out these great ideas for organizing your home, your garden, your kitchen, and start off the New Year right!
Organizing Hacks on the Homestead
Lists are a huge part of keeping life organized. Thankfully in this world of modern homesteading, there are bloggers out there with free printables specifically designed to help you with that! Whether you only want to organize the junk drawer or ruthlessly declutter your entire home, there are lists out there for you!
Believe it or not, becoming a minimalist can be a good thing, although not a necessity. Some of us are just too sentimental to clear out everything. Keeping ahead of that To Do List can become a full time job all by itself.
Structuring your day to what works best for you and your family will be a huge help to keeping your life organized.
Having an annual plan for reoccurring big projects is a great idea. Having a planner can make life much easier.
Keep notes and bills visible with this cute chicken wire memo board! Who says organizing can’t be cute?
Organizing Hacks in the Garden
Keeping a good garden journal is a HUGE part of staying organized in the garden. No matter how much you think you’ll be able to remember when and where you did what, I can pretty much promise you won’t.
Knowing what to put in that garden journal is just as important has having one. Write everything down!
There are some beautiful gardening journals out there that you can customize to your needs too!
Having an organized garden shed will make every season easier too!
Picture courtesy of Grace Garden and Homestead
Organizing Hacks in the Home
It seems like the kitchen is the main room in the house that always needs reorganizing. New appliances, new gadgets, new storage ideas seem to make this a constant need.
How about making some DIY special shelves in your pantry to help keep your canned goods organized? These help with proper rotation too so nothing ever expires.
Keep your home preserves pantry organized otherwise you’re liable to forget what’s in there! (Believe me, it happens!)
It’s easy to get caught up in having all the shiny, new kitchen gadgets, but make sure that you don’t own things that only have one purpose, as that makes for a lot of clutter.
For instance, no need for a strawberry huller and an egg slicer, since a small paring knife will do both of those things plus much more. Have a plan for food and laundry. When those two things get done, life is so much smoother.
Picture by SummerAcres.net
Add additional shelves above the top shelf in every closet. There is usually too much space between the top shelf and the ceiling and can add valuable storage space instead.
Ready to put that bathroom hand towel in the laundry? Use it to wipe down the counters and sink first!
Keep organization materials in easy reach. Keep a wall or desk calendar, along with a stack of post-it notes and cup of colored sharpies. When something pops up, it’s easy to get it on the calendar or write it on a post-it so it won’t be forgotten.
Don’t know where to start or just overwhelmed? Set a timer every day for 15 minutes and spend it conquering one thing on your to-do list, whether it’s paying bills, cleaning, meal prep, or anything else. You can do a lot in 15 minutes, and often it’s enough to get momentum going to conquer more things on the list.
But Don’t Forget to Enjoy Life…
Even with all the “life hacks” and organizing ideas and tricks out there, that To Do List can quickly become overwhelming. No matter what you’ve got on your plate, don’t forget to slow down and enjoy life, maintain a healthy balance.
Is that pile of laundry growing too fast? Remember that laundry means you have clothes to keep you and your family warm. Kitchen sink full of dirty dishes? You have food to feed eat. Toys all over the floor? Your kids are making happy memories.
It’s easy to get so caught up in trying to make everything perfect and “just so” that you forget to enjoy your life and your loved ones. If necessary, take another look at that To Do List and see if there is something that can be removed. It’s okay to say “No” sometimes. Don’t forget to step back every once in a while and take a look at all you’ve accomplished too!
Sure, less clutter means less stress, so hopefully these Organizing Hacks help you and yours have a wonderful New Year on the Homestead!
What are your favorite organizing hacks? Share in the comments below!
