Holidays often bring about equal parts stress and joy, if you don’t have your game plan ready when it’s also over, the new year can get off to a rough start. So we asked local pros, Laura Ahrens and Eva Cruz from Professional Organizers of The Hamptons to share their secrets for getting and staying organized (not to mention sane) throughout 2022.
This really is the best time to start fresh with an organized home. Their secret to a stress-free year:
- Being organized (keep reading) frees you up and truly liberates you so you can stay present and actually enjoy the good times and people in your life.
- The key is having a place for everything and a pre/present/post strategy for getting all items where they need to go (even if it’s to the thrift store, or your local charity for those unwanted presents!).
- Best of all, this doesn’t have to be complicated. The Professional Organizers of the Hamptons have made an art (and a science) of this and are excited to share with you, their simple tips and tactics for maximizing space and good cheer for the new year.
Three phases of staying organized in the new year:
Phase 1 – Minimize
- Get lean on those items you usually get as presents during the holidays (hello, socks). You should also go over serving and decorating items from prior years before the next holiday. As a golden rule, if you are short on space (or energy to organize), let go of something before letting a new thing in your life.
Phase 2 – Make space
Before things and events come your way make sure you free some space for them. If you are big at hosting dinners, try to simplify your activities in the week prior to your event so you have that extra time to plan and execute it. This applies also to physical items, so start creating space for those new clothes (gowns or ugly sweaters) before they come, throw away old cosmetics (most of them expire after a year) and make room in your pantry for those delicious treats that you promised you wouldn’t buy last year.
Phase 3 – Wrap up
- Carve out a section of your home/closet where all holiday decorations and paraphernalia can be organized by holiday and stored in a way that’s prioritized by the date they appear on the calendar; Valentine’ Day, Easter, spring outings/picnics, summer festivities/supplies, Fourth of July, Halloween and Christmas/Hanukkah.
Need more help? Read these 2021 tips, which still hold true in 2022!
If with all these tips you are still feeling overwhelmed and in need of help make sure to give yourself the gift of organizing services. Professional Organizers of The Hamptons can be found on Instagram at @HamptonsOrganizers. They would love to get you out of that bottleneck of clutter to start the year with the right foot.
