What a wild first week in 2021, am I right??
Aside from the chaos, I actually had a pretty productive week.
I know I’m not providing anything that’s necessarily groundbreaking here in offering the advice of organizing/cleaning things out to start the New Year. I am well aware that most people make this a normal habit without a holiday to kickstart it.
That being said, I am attacking things a little differently this year and hopefully relieving a lot of unwanted stress from my life.
I’ll be honest here, I have a tendency to get super motivated about making lists for this stuff and then never following through with all the items I’ve come up with. Why? Because cleaning and organizing is stressful and not exactly fun. I can always find something else to do, and each year, I get all hyped up to clean and organize and then it’s December and I’m thinking about all the projects I still haven’t touched.
This year I’m completely motivated. It’s a goal of mine to finally organize the areas of my life that need it the most. I don’t want to wait until I’m not tired or not too busy. Nope. January 31 is my deadline.
That leaves me with 11 months in 2021 of just simply living my life. Sure, things change. Projects will come up, and there’s always room for improvement to processes. But all in all, I’d rather spend the next few months of this year enjoying my space instead of constantly thinking about all the stuff I have to do…
Start with cleaning projects:
Besides the obvious and standard cleaning projects around the house, there are places here and there that need some attention.
• Clean Out Your Wardrobe
You’re thinking, duh. But seriously, do this now. If this seems too painful, start with this season of clothing. I am a sentimental hoarder of sorts, so this has always been difficult for me, but I’ve become more addicted to the feeling of less clutter than I am to the feeling of holding on.
I’ve developed a routine to elevate this process a little bit. I first divide my things into two piles. One for consignment and one for Goodwill. I put my consignment clothing into a bin and Goodwill in a trash bag and I take both piles with me to consignment first. I let them rummage through my stuff and then I let them pay me for the items they want.
Consignment stores are weirdly picky, so it’s not like I’m making bank or anything, but I may get some pocket change out of it. Whatever consignment doesn’t want, I throw into the Goodwill bag(s) and I drive them right over to drop them off. It kills two birds with one stone and I usually leave with a little money in my pocket.
• Clean out bags and purses
If you are a bag lady like me, you probably have a bunch of random totes or purses filled with trash and random things that shouldn’t be in them. Now is the perfect time to empty ALL OF THEM. I literally sit on my floor and dump the bag’s components out in front of me. It’s a tedious, and sometimes disgusting task, but I feel so much better when I do this.
Elevate this process by organizing your bag’s components into other tinier bags. Again, if you are a bag lady like me, you will probably have a few pencil cases or makeup bags lying around that could use a home.
Now is also a good time to switch up said bag if you need a change. I switched from my shoulder bag to a backpack since I’m wearing bulkier clothing these days. Much more convenient for me.
• Get rid of old makeup and spa products
It expires. It gets crumbly. It gets discolored. It gets gross. Okay? I’m talking to myself – not you. You guys are probably less disgusting than I am. I tend to hold onto makeup that should have been thrown away at the start of the Millennium.
This crap honestly just takes up space. Out with the old. The only makeup we really need these days is mascara, right? Wear your mask, save money on makeup. Win-win!
• Clean out your fridge/freezer/pantry/kitchen cabinets
This one is rough for me. No, not because I am an expired food hoarder or anything, but I just HATE cleaning my fridge. It grosses me out and I don’t like it. But, it needs to be done. Since you’re already taking everything out of it, it’s also a great time to reconfigure where things go. Pinterest has so many ideas for refrigerator organization, and if you’re bougie enough to want to splurge on fridge organization pieces, go crazy. Color coordinate your pop cans for all I care! You do you.
Pantries can always use a good clean-out. Get rid of the stuff you are never going to use. There are many places you can donate non-perishable items and there is no better time than now to do so.
Opening up every single cabinet in the kitchen is a long and grueling process, but I can promise you two things 1) You will find something you forgot you had and now want to use and 2) You will create much needed space. Get. Rid. Of. It. I don’t know what it is, but say bye byeeeee.
• Throw away old office supplies
Okay, so maybe you don’t have an office. Here’s what you probably have: some random notebooks, cluttered drawers, old planners, broken pens, dried up highlighters, opened envelopes, etc. It happens. They pile up and somewhere in your life there are piles of paperclips and perforated notebook pieces. Do it now and then let it pile up for another year before you touch it. At least you can check it off your list!
• Purge your panties (and bras, socks, and panty hose while you’re at it)
Ladies, it’s time. I know. You’ve had that bra since college and it still kind of fits! No.
Time to get down and dirty and purge the unmentionables. Period panties? PINK brand panties with dumb sayings you thought were “sexy” when you bought them and now they just scream adolescent? They gotta go. For whatever reason, I will never understand why it’s so difficult to get rid of bras and underwear, but it is. And I am here for you!
Use this time treat yo self and replace your old favorites. It’s 2021 and we all deserve it.
And what about socks? I’m guessing there are rogue singles still taking up space in your drawer. Those panty hose with runs in them? Oh, they haven’t fit in 5 years? K, sis. Let them go. Either commit to some fresh ones or spend the rest of the cold seasons in Pants City.