What have you done so far in 2020 to improve your home organization? If it was your New Year’s resolution, we all know now is the critical time when the early January momentum starts wearing off, and you really have to push to keep your resolution going.

Here at Modular Closets, we want to help make it easier for you, so that 2020 can finally be THE year when you do get your home organized and keep it that way. As experts in custom closet systems and home organization solutions, we know your chances of success will increase when you have a plan that’s feasible to implement and maintain.

 In order to help you create a home organization strategy that’s easily manageable to get started (and keep going throughout 2020), here are 5 tips:

1. What’s Your Problem?

If your home is suffering from ineffective organization, you can’t fix it simply by envisioning the future or just tidying up here and there. You need to first examine the big picture and then dive into the details, taking action to implement a well-devised strategy. 

To start, identify the problem areas in your home. For example, maybe your entryway has become a dumping zone filled with clutter. Maybe your bedroom closet is overstuffed. Maybe your attic or basement has become a chaotic catch-all.

Make a list of the specific problem areas you want to clean up, the more specific the better. Now you have the start of an actionable plan.

2. Magic and Joy

Everything you keep in your home should bring joy into your life. That’s part of the home organization philosophy advocated by Marie Kondo, now famous as the author of The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. 

However, if you’re like most Americans, your home is probably filled with all sorts of things you’ve collected over the years that don’t really serve a purpose any longer (if they ever did).

Now is the time to sell, donate, or otherwise dispose of everything that doesn’t bring you joy. If you no longer use it and/or if it has no special, important meaning, don’t let it clutter up your home and your life.

3. Memories

Pro Tip: while you do want to make a point to keep only what brings you joy, when you’re starting out the organization process, you want to avoid getting lost in nostalgia. 

It’s a frequent occurrence for someone to start tidying up, find a box of old photos or other sentimental keepsakes, and then spend the rest of the day getting caught up in memories (instead of finishing the process of decluttering!) 

Remember, you’re on a whole home organization mission first. Put those nostalgic items to the side for now, and put a date on the calendar for later when you can come back and take time to sort through sentimental belongings.  

4. Thinking Holistically

While there are many ways to approach home organization, tidying up room by room is probably not the most efficient if you’re not thinking about your home as a whole. 

You want to take a broad, holistic view and start thinking about the ideal “flow” of your whole home. This may mean that things that have always been in one room won’t stay there.

To start thinking holistically, it’s useful to start thinking in terms of categories, for example “clothes” or “books.” These items may be spread throughout various rooms of your home, but think about a system for organizing them as a category, for example seasonal clothes in the bedroom closet with out-of-season and special occasion clothing in other storage areas.

5. Consider a Customized Approach

Are you making the best use of the space you have available in your home?

Once you start thinking it terms of categories, it can be useful to add systems of shelves or drawers to make use of your wall space, so that each of your categories can have a designated place to go.

Your goal is to put in place a system such that each item you own has a defined home within your home. This is what will make it easier to stay organized for the long-term, because you’ll have a go-to-spot for everything.

If you’re ready to find out more about a closet system solution that’s customized for you, our team here at Modular Closets will be happy to help by offering you a FREE closet design.