January

This is when it all begins – January – a new year and a fresh sense of renewal. However, by mid-month, many of your resolutions may no longer be resolute. That being said, this year let’s start with a plan. If, in the past, you have plunged, headfirst, into piles of papers only to be overwhelmed, or attempted to reorganize the entire basement in a weekend, step back and plan your strategy.

Any successful battle begins with proper planning. Sometimes, having a realistic gauge of how much time a project or task requires gives a more accurate estimate of how to fit the project into your timeline.

This blog will serve as an outline for projects, timelines, or other tools to give you inspiration and to keep you motivated for the year.

Start with writing down the most obvious areas of your home that you would like to have organized. The simple act of writing something down can motivate you into action. Usually, the office, kitchen, basement, and garages need the most attention.

Next, make a list of the project that those rooms require and try as best as you can to estimate the time investment needed (example – Basement: clean out storage area = 2 hours; repaint = 4 hours; install new light fixture = 1 hour). By doing this, you will be able to fit a project in when you have that block of time, or break the project up into workable timeframes. You can incorporate these larger projects into the “Zone” portion of this plan (explained later).

In the past, you may have pulled everything out of the closet, only to be reminded by the clock that it was time to pick up the kids, or get to an appointment. By estimating the time involved, you will be able to complete smaller tasks and eliminate the “started, but not completed” project syndrome.

After you identify the “problem areas” and we get them under control, I will ask you to take a step back and create an outline of cleaning/maintenance tasks that need to be done routinely. This can be daily/weekly/ every 2 weeks/monthly – whatever fits into your lifestyle. You will then divide your house into “Zones”. This will allow you to clean and organize your house (daily/weekly) and address any larger projects and purchases throughout the month. In this scenario – “A” week (Bedrooms) would fall upon the first week of the month; “B” (Bathrooms) would be the second week of the month, and so on. Believe me – you will not be overwhelmed! You will divide and conquer, and be able to gain some free time, while also reducing waste – both in time and dollars spent!

Here are my Zones:
A = Bedrooms
B = Bathrooms
C = Kitchen
D = Family Room/Laundry Room
E = Formal Living Areas/Office
F = Basement Areas

Next month (February) I will show you how to pull all of this together. For now, sit back, relax, and think through your plan of action. Remember – detail the rooms and large projects you’d like to address, and then divide your home into Zones.