It’s Time to Get Organized
Happy New Year! I can’t believe the year is 2023. We made it past Y2K and COVID, so to say “YOU are resilient” is an understatement. I think for many of us, the past couple of years we were simply existing in survival mode. Trying to grasp our mask-mandated realities. Some of us lost loved ones, some of us started some fun DIYs at home. And all of us embraced an entirely new culture that COVID created for us.
So yes, we’ve evolved and embraced new norms, yet we still love the age-old tradition of setting resolutions. With that being said, today I’m planning on sharing 12 tips to simplify your life – because life gets busy, messy and hard to control! Check out the list of topics below.
12 Tips to Simplify Your Life
1) Declutter your Home
Here’s some practical ways you can work on removing all the clutter that can pile up. If you have kids, you likely experience an even more exaggerated amount of clutter. Keep reading moms, step moms, or anyone else who needs help organizing their home – this one’s for you!
It’s always a great idea at the beginning of the New Year to declutter your home, so you can feel like you’re starting fresh in your own space. Getting rid of the things that don’t serve you anymore in your daily life. Letting go of these things can make you feel more free and more productive. I actually have a donation box that I regularly add to, so I can offer up items I no longer need and give them to someone who can put them to good use.
Paper clutter
Knick knacks that don’t give you life
Old clothing that no longer fits or is in style
Old blankets and bedding that’s been through the wash one too many times
2) Control the Paper Clutter
Have filing bins and folders ready to go. Discard junk mail immediately. Set aside important papers and then go through it each week to address any issues.
3) Do a Brain Dump
Get all your ideas and plans onto paper (or in an email) is key to having a clear mind.
[shop notebooks or journals]
4) Simplify your beauty routine
Go through your skin care and makeup. Discard anything that is out of date or you haven’t used in awhile. Make room for some new products you’ll use.
5) Edit Your Wardrobe
Do a full Marie Kondo overhaul. Keep what you love. What doesn’t give you joy, donate it.
Try taking a photo of an outfit you’re not sure of to see how you look and feel when wearing it.
When the weather changes, store out of season clothing elsewhere.
6) Simplify your Meals
Make it easy on yourself. Try these tips to make dinnertime easier
Try out a meal service like Hello Fresh,
Establish menu ahead of time
Use a shopping delivery service like Shipt or Instacart.
7) Clean Out Your Inbox
My personal goal is to acheive a ZERO inbox – we will see if I can get close in 2023.
Delete messages you don’t need DAILY!
Remove your spam in bulk and go through it each week.
Unsubscribe from the emails that you don’t open or you’re no longer interested in.
Create folders for the important information you need to keep.
8) Clean Up Your Devices
We spend so much time on our devices, so having a fresh platform will feel so good when you enter 2023.
Delete photos that you don’t need or want
Go through text messages and delete what you don’t need
Delete apps you haven’t used in awhile on your phone, computer and Ipad.
9) Simplify your Bill Pay System
Put things on automation.
Set bills to be paid directly from your bank account.
Double check your budget and run a report at the end of the month to ensure nothing is deducted from your account that shouldn’t be.
Use a service like TrueBill to help get rid of automatically renewing subscriptions you don’t even remember you have! #guilty
10) Use Time Blocking to Get Productive
Time blocking is HUGE for me! It’s when I make my phone calls, call my clients, write blog posts. It’s time set aside to focus on important tasks that need to get done. Instead of spreading it out here and there, or just being unorganized and hoping it’ll get done. This is an intentional practice and will increase your productivity so much. Give it a try!
11) Make a daily list
I am a HUGE list maker! I cannot survive without my daily to-do list. Really, the key is making a list the night before. When you wake up in the morning you know already exactly what needs to be done that day.
12) Break Free from Negative Social Media Messages
Social media has it’s. place but it is truly the biggest time suck and you can spend hours watching ridiculous tic toks of people you don’t know or care about who is bringing zero value to your life. It’s important to take control of your social media!
1-Set a time limit for social media and have a specific purpose to engage.
2-If an account you follow is stirring up negative feelings – goodbye! It’s time to cut ties with anything and anyone holding you back.
3-Mute the stories and the people you don’t want to interact with.
4-Unfollow the people who you aren’t interested in connecting with anymore.
With that being said, if you’re interested in connecting online, I’d love to chat on Instagram. I share about fashion, lifestyle, and as a realtor I’m starting to offer more advice on the housing market, staging, and interior design ideas as well. If that’s something that resonates with you, let’s chat!
Follow me on Instagram for more inspiration!