21 Tips to Get Organized in 2021

January is Get Organized (GO) Month, according to the National Association of Organizing and Productivity Professionals. You’ve probably spent more time at home over the last year than ever before, so it is a great time to refresh your space and tackle some decluttering projects.

Need inspiration? Check out this article from Redfin with 21 ideas to get organized in 2021. Be sure to read to the end to find my tip for how a cart can be an organizing tool!

Pandemic Organizing: Getting Creative with Storage Space

Last spring, after a few months of lockdown, I wrote about pandemic storage - and storage dilemmas I never thought I’d have, like how to store your face masks.

Today, 10 months into the pandemic, we’re definitely buying more in bulk than ever before. I used to have space in my pantry or basement storage, but those areas are really full. This calls for more creative storage. For example, check out these mudroom essentials: bags, gear, exercise stuff...and the Costco-sized box of popcorn.

I also finally decided I need to purchase more bins for my pantry to corral the bulk baking supplies, so they don’t topple down every time I take something off the top shelf. More posts to come on that project.

#saturdayorganizing #pandemicpurchase

3 Quick Tips to De-Clutter Toys before the Holidays

If you have young kids, after the holidays there may be a lot of new toys coming into your home. Here's how to get ready and do a quick de-clutter your child's room or the playroom:

1. Throw out any broken toys or toy parts that have been hanging around.*
2. Are toys left out? Don't spent a lot of time, but see what you can put away. If there are toys that just need to go back on their shelf or in their container, do it. Put books back on their shelves. Games go back into their box. As you do this consider if you need better storage for toys and books. 
3. Do a quick culling of toys. Donate or pass on any toys that your kids have outgrown, or they no longer enjoy playing with.

After the holidays you'l be happy you did this kind of de-clutter triage and it will be easier to integrate the new toys into your home. Your kids will be happy too!

*Bonus tip: If it seems that you have toys that you want to donate that have missing parts, start a "missing parts" bin. Put in the toy or random piece and see what you can collect. Put a note on your calendar to check the box in three months and see if you can match anything up. Leftover parts and unusable toys should be tossed in the trash.