Happy 2023!

Whether or not you believe in New Year resolutions, we can all agree that they can be challenging to keep. This applies to home organization, too. Every year, we envision a cleaner, tidier home, but we quickly find that it's not as easy as it sounds. Just wishing for a tidier house won't do the trick. We have to translate this wish into more concrete, specific habits.

Apart from the deep-cleaning and organizing we do every now and then, there are smaller, more achievable things we can do daily to help keep our homes neat. These don't take a lot of energy or time to perform, which makes them easy to practice as regular habits. If you want less mess and less stress in your home this year, try these home organizing tips!

 

1. Make your bed.

It sounds too simple, but there's wisdom in making your bed upon waking up. The bed is a huge focal point in your bedroom, so it influences the whole atmosphere of the space. Compare the feeling of coming home after a day's work to a messy bed versus a tidy bed. The latter is a much more relaxing and comfortable sight.

Bonus tip: If you're rushing in the morning, don't aim for a perfect hotel-like set-up. Do what you can in one minute or two. Pull up the covers, pile the pillows, smooth over the top, and you're good to go.

Wall art pictured above: "Love, Laughter, & Happily Ever After" Premium Rustic Canvas

 

2. Pick up stuff on the spot.

Prevent floor mess by picking things up as you go along. Most of the things that are commonly strewn around already have their own storage: shoes have racks, dirty clothes have hampers, toys have crates. So you don't even need to figure out where to put them. All it takes is one motion to put them where they belong!

Try practicing this action as soon as you see one or two items on the floor, so you don't let them pile up. Better yet, avoid leaving floor things in the first place -- put shoes on the rack the moment you take them off.

Wall art pictured above: "Bless This Mess" Premium Canvas

 

3. Try the 1-minute rule.

This might just be the golden rule for a clutter-free home: if you can do something within one minute, do it right then and there. Whether it's loading the dishwasher or wiping the counter or putting the mail away, these micro-tasks are so much easier to do when you don't allow them to snowball.

 

4. Move while you wait.

Many days are filled with wait times: waiting for water to boil, waiting for the microwave to warm up your lunch, waiting for the bathtub to fill. When you get downtimes like these, don't reach for your phone and start scrolling. Instead, use the time to do a little tidying nearby, like clearing the dining table or cleaning the bathroom mirror.

Wall art pictured above: "Laundry Today Or Naked Tomorrow" Premium Canvas

 

5. Move when you're restless.

Ever find yourself mentally bogged down by worry, anxiety, or a creative block? Getting your body to move is one way to get out of that slump. Do one task that doesn't require a lot of brainpower. It could be organizing your closet a little bit or tidying the console in your entry. Doing little chores around the house gives you two-fold benefits: it 'resets' your mind so you don't wallow, and it helps you get a little more organized. Win-win!

 

6. Don't let dirty dishes land.

This is one of our favorite clutter-free tips. When you're clearing away those random used plates or your perpetual coffee cup or the ubiquitous glasses of water, don't leave them on the sink. Wash them right away or put them in the dishwasher. That way, they don't sneakily pile up into a mountain of dirty dishes.

Wall art pictured above: "But First, Coffee" Premium Canvas

 

7. Corral loose things.

Much of the clutter in our homes are little random objects that don't really have a permanent place. Coins, receipts, trinkets, hand tools -- you name it. Instead of letting them scatter about, tame the chaos by assigning a cute catch-all box or tray where the mess usually congregates. You don't need to spend energy organizing this container, yet everything is stowed away and you'll know exactly where those random objects will be.

Apparently, this tidying tip has been making the rounds on TikTok, where millennials and Gen-Z have been calling it "DOOM" boxes, short for "Didn't Organize, Only Moved." Pretty clever!

 

We hope these home organizing ideas help you in 2023 and beyond! Do you have your own tidying tips? Share with us in a comment!

Happy New Year from all of us at GearDen.com!

 

Related:

10 Super-Easy Habits to Prevent Clutter at Home