10 Insider Tips to Get Organized in the New Year

With Christmas behind us, it’s time to focus on the new year.  If getting more organized is one of the top priorities in your life, these tips should help you get on the right track.  These are all organization posts that have been visited the most over the past year so I know that I’m not the only one who struggles to get organized and to STAY organized.  Because let’s be honest-   getting organized isn’t the hardest part – it’s the staying organized that takes a lot of consistent effort.  Right? 

Alright let’s do this—- 

1.  Plan Out Your Cleaning Schedule: 
   Cleaning?  One of my least favorite words.  I know there are people out there at clean to relax.  I wish that was me.  Sadly it’s not.  But I feel so much better when my house is clean.  On Facebook I shared a complex cleaning schedule and heard back from a lot of people that there was no way that they could keep up with it.  I came up with my own simplified version. I’m a visual learner so having something in front of me, checking things off majorly helps.  You can take these guidelines and use it how it best fits your family.

 

2.  Make a binder to organize all the things: 

Just when you think there are no more binders to make (is that even possible?), I put together this all inclusive binder.  They both have a ton of useful information and will make the new year ridiculously organized.

3.  Pull out the crockpot and make freezer meals: 
If you have a crazy afternoon/evening schedule crockpots can be a life saver.  They can help you get your home organized and eating healthier.  They also make you feel less stressed because once they are done, you just throw them in the slow cooker and do what you need to do.  My contributor Kelly has a whole slew of ideas to help you in this area.

 

4.  Pack Your Lunch: 
Have you heard? Packing lunches aren’t just for kids.  With a whole post of delicious recipes, tips and resources, you’ll have a whole new love for taking lunch to work or making it at home.  I also have a sandwichless post full of different ideas in case you want to get away from pb & j.

5.  and get involved in Meal Prep: 
I know it might seem like a huge pain in the beginning.  But I’m telling you- I haven’t felt more organized than when I was in the thick of meal prep.  It takes some initial setting up and getting into a rhythm, but once you get into a routine, you will be singing the praises of meal prep too. This can make a huge difference in freezer make ahead meals like listed above.

6.  Make a weekly meal plan.
Right along with slow cooker meals and freezer prep, having a weekly meal plan is a total game changer.  It prevents the nightly “what’s for dinner?” question.  It helps with grocery shopping and overall organization.  Included in each week’s meal plan is a printable shopping list.  We do the compiling for you and you print and make the food.  Sound good?

7.  Get Your Kids Involved: 
I get it.  It’s really hard to have your kids involved in chores and cooking.  It takes time and patience.  BUT it will not only help your family run better, it will teach them important life skills.  They will be more grateful and appreciative (in theory) as well as help make your family organized in general.

With 5 reasons why kids need to help clean – I break down chores by age and why it’s a good idea to get them involved.

And in 5 Reasons Why Kids Should Learn to Cook, you’ll want to get your kids in the kitchen right away with you.

8.  Have snacks organized and ready to go with self serve healthy snacks:
One of the things that drives me a little bananas is when my kids say there is nothing to eat.  I came up with a plan to have self serve healthy snacks on hand so that they could make choices.  This is an individual thing for each family as younger kids might need more boundaries and direction but with my older kids, they can pick out what they like and it’s all organized in 2 spots – a drawer in the fridge and a basket in the pantry.

9.  Start a savings challenge.  
Now is the perfect time to start a new savings challenge.  You have a clean slate with the new year so don’t focus on what you haven’t done in the past, just spend your attention on moving forward.  Here are 5 ways to get control of your budget too.   People who are organized usually have a budget that they stick to.

I also have a printable budget binder (that has been visited over 3 million times since I posted it!!) that will help you get on track with budgeting.  And a whole section on finances and budget.

10.  Decide if the Kon Mari Method is for you.
2015 was the year that I heard about the Kon Mari Method over and over and over again.  There are lots of people who have adapted this approach to organization.  I’m still not sure about it but think it’s worth a shot.  

Nobody expects you to tackle all of these organizational things at once.  At least I don’t.  But if you make a list and check them off one by one, you’ll find yourself with a much more organized household.
Let’s review:

• Plan out your cleaning schedule
• Make an all inclusive binder
• Learn how to make slow cooker freezer meals
• Pack your lunch
• Learn how to meal prep to save time
• Make a meal plan
• Get your kids involved
• Make healthy snacks self serve
• Start a savings challenge
• Decide if the Kon Mari Method is for you?

What tips do you have to add to this list?