Organizing During the Holidays

The holiday season tends to be a bit chaotic. So here is some advice from an organizer on how to get ahead of the mess.

Declutter Before Gifts

This tip applies to the whole family. If you exchange gifts during the holidays, then you should declutter beforehand. I personally go through my closet and get rid of items that I no longer wear. Tell your kids that since they are about to get new toys, it’s time to go through their old toys and get rid of ones they don’t use anymore. They will be way more inclined to declutter if you tell them that they need to make room for the new toys.

I realize that the holiday season is incredibly busy for some people, so if you don’t get around to decluttering beforehand, that’s okay. You can still declutter after exchanging gifts. If you want to limit the number of items you have, use a one-in-one-out rule. I use this with shoes. If I get a new pair of boots, an old pair needs to go.

Holiday Decor

When it’s time to decorate for the holidays, take out everything you have. After you’re done decorating, take a hard look at the items that you didn’t put out and consider taking them to donation. If you didn’t like them enough to put them out, it’s likely you won’t be putting them out any other year.

Holiday Cards

We all love receiving holiday cards from our loved ones each year. But once the holiday season is over, it’s time to recycle them. I have had many clients with piles of holiday cards from each year. I can tell you that those cards lived in random boxes and drawers taking up valuable space, but never looked at again. I understand the desire to keep something like that because it’s people that you care about, however, it’s not a personal card and it’s not a photo that you can frame and put up on the wall. It’s okay to let these cards go. You’ll likely get another one next year, and the year after that.