Washington – The beginning of a new year always feels revitalising, at least for a few days. But if there are bags, boxes and papers from the past year still hanging around your house, the new year can feel a little less like a fresh start.
If you’ve vowed to declutter and organise this year, now is the time to begin.
Don’t get bogged down in trying to decide which room or space should be your first priority; just pick a spot – even a small one – and get to work.
It’s better to start the year with easy solutions than with empty resolutions.
Here are a few project ideas that involve relatively little time and effort, but are sure to leave you feeling satisfied and motivated to do more.
Return unwanted holiday gifts
Returning gifts is not fun – in fact, it’s kind of depressing. But if you’ve been ruminating about whether you like or need something you received, chances are you don’t. Stop trying to convince yourself. Return it to the shop before the end of this month.
Clean out your kitchen cupboards
The holidays can leave your kitchen cupboards or pantry in total disarray, especially if you were hosting a large group. Remove everything, wipe off the shelves, toss out expired items and begin restocking. Categorise and sort items. Nuts, rice, noodles, dried fruit and other things that come in upright, sealable plastic bags can be held together in long, rectangular containers. Snacks for kids and lunch box items should also be grouped together and put in containers to make them easy to find.
Scale down athletic clothes
Most people who exercise grab the same items for each workout, and all the other colourful, but ill-fitting, stuff they bought on a whim goes unused. Take an inventory of your leggings, tank tops, sweatshirts, T-shirts and shoes. If they’re threadbare, toss them out; if you haven’t worn them in the past few months, toss or donate.
Tidy up underneath the kitchen sink or bathroom vanity
This is not a huge job, but it can be daunting. Not only are you not going to find anything fun in there, you’re also probably going to have to deal with half-empty bottles filled with cleaning materials and expired medicine.
Clean and straighten the clothes cupboard
The floor of your cupboard is probably dirty, and it’s hard to clean without taking everything out, so you might as well do just that. Clear the space, clean the floor and put everything you’ll need for the next four months back inside. Throw away orphan socks; shoes that your children have outgrown should be donated or tossed.
Boots you no longer wear should be donated if they’re in good condition.
Hats, scarves, bags and umbrellas can be stored in bins or in an over-the-door hanger.
Put your coats and jackets on sturdy hangers, not flimsy wire ones that sag under the weight.
Delve into a couple of mystery boxes.
Take three or four bins or boxes out of your garage or storage area and assess whether you still need or want the items inside.
Usually people avoid looking at the contents of stored boxes because they don’t want to be faced with the tough decision of what to keep. But most of the time, the answer is immediately apparent.
Your university textbooks from the 1990s are no longer necessary.
Letters from your grandparents are okay to keep. Cassette tapes can be recycled.
The jacket you haven’t worn in a decade can be donated.
When you’ve determined what you’re keeping, take a moment to label the box correctly.
As for the discards, try to get them out of the house within the week.
Don’t wait – get started now.
Washington Post