The beginning of a new year is a perfect time to reorganize your home. The hardest part of getting organized is just getting started! Looking at the process as one huge job can be overwhelming, so break the process down into smaller tasks. Spend each weeknight working toward one organization goal, and you can have your whole apartment finished by the weekend!
Monday: Declutter
Begin your week of organizing with one big sorting party. Throw on some music or your favorite podcast, and start making a decision about what you really want to keep around.
Sort all the items in your apartment into three piles: keep, donate, and throw away.
Put everything in the throwaway pile in the trash immediately to get it out of the way.
Tuesday: Donate
Today you deal with all the items in your apartment that you don’t need to keep, but which are still too useful to throw away.
Research local shelters, thrift stores, and donation centers. Animal shelters love to receive second-hand blankets; local women’s shelters might take unused toiletries. A little bit of research can go a long way. Read more about what you can and can’t donate to Goodwill here.
Prep and drop off items in your donate piles. This may mean you need to do a few loads of laundry or find a few extra cardboard boxes, so build in enough time to prep and pack it all up.
Wednesday: Go Shopping
I know that you’ve just spent two evenings getting rid of things, but it’s time to go out and buy a FEW new things. You don’t have to spend a ton of money; you can even find good organization options at the dollar store. If you keep your apartment properly organized, you will be less likely to let the clutter take over again.
Take measurements for your storage areas so that you are buying the right sized bins and containers.
Purchase only items you know will use, and save the receipts so you can use any organizational items you don’t end up using.
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Thursday: Pack It Up
Your apartment has been in a state of disarray for a few days now, so let’s get that mess cleaned up! Today you get to put all your new organizational items to work.
Label, sort, and clean as you go.
Do a second evaluation of your belongings as you put them away. If you find more items that you think you can get rid of, donate them!
Friday: Prevention
You have done a great job so far! The last step in this process is making sure your apartment stays neat and organized.
Develop routines to make sure that your belongings are put in their proper places. It doesn’t really matter what the routine is, as long as you stick to it.
Look into ways to reduce paper clutter like signing up for paperless billing or canceling some of your magazine subscriptions (or sign up for digital versions!).
Congratulations! You now have an organized apartment AND a plan to keep it that way!