Home Resolutions for a New Year

After the holidays, a lot of people talk about needing to “recover”. Whether it’s from fielding tricky moments with in-laws, overindulging in treats, or stressing about NOT being at work, it seems we need to regroup.

On the home front, regrouping can take the form of making improvements. Cleaner, less cluttered, and better-organized spaces create more enjoyable places to live. For me, I find that making improvements also allows me to reconnect with my home.

So, in the spirit of the post-holiday season, here are 4 easy tips to help you and your home “recover” from the holidays. These suggestions also work as New Year’s resolutions, and last well into the year ahead.

1. Reduce your “stuff footprint”.

If you’ve resolved to be neater this year, try doing so with less stuff. I’ve resolved to reduce my ‘”stuff footprint” by 30 percent in 3 spaces: my closet, my kitchen, and my basement. Also, if you’ve received home décor items as gifts, now’s the time to shed unwanted objects so that your home can easily absorb new pieces.  

2.Do something kind for your home every day. 

Our homes, like our bodies, look and feel better when we tend to them daily. Like many of us, I’ve resolved to do something for my physical well being each day. (Exercise, of course, is on the list  – but treats like manicures count too!).

For your home, a kind act could be as simple as organizing a messy drawer, tackling a spot that needs a deep cleaning, or placing fresh flowers on your dining room table as if you were having guests. Go ahead – give your home some love!

3. Get the family involved.  

Find creative ways to get your family on board with helping around the house. Pump up the music while you fold laundry.  Hold a sock-matching race.  Have the kids fluff up the cushions, and allow them to keep the loose change they find (as long as they complete the chore). 

Turn tidying into a sorting game, creating piles by room, by category, or by task. As an incentive, create chore coupons with redeemable rewards.

4. Divide and conquer.

One reason people have a hard time completing projects is the long lists of tasks seem overwhelming. I’ve found many undertakings become less daunting when I break them down into manageable steps:

First, start by prioritizing your projects by importance and scope: i.e. “make the kitchen work better”.

Second, break down the larger project into sub projects: i.e. “fix the leaky faucet”.

Third, take a sub project and break that down into individual tasks: i.e. “reach out to 4 friends to find a reliable plumber”.

Focus on completing a single task rather than the final result. Once the task is finished, you’ll experience a sense of accomplishment – which is a great way to start the New Year.