Pictured: petrified wood slab, glass candle (these would look beautiful as well), pillar candles, similar mother of pearl round tray (also here), similar ceramic vase.

A new year always feels like a new beginning in some ways. I like to evaluate things, like most people, and take inventory physically, and mentally of my life and my home. And when it comes to the latter, organizing it puts me at ease and “calms” my mind. I like to be able to find things easily when I need to, as well as have my clothes clean and ready for when I want to wear them. Hence, having an organized home is important to me.

It goes without saying that these first two weeks of 2022 have been focused on these areas, and I thought of sharing about my process a bit, in case you need some tips on where to start. Let’s get into it.

• Take inventory of your houseplants.

  If you’re looking for tips on how to care for houseplants, I shared a few here. If you have orchids, I wrote how I care for mine in this post.

  • Inspect them for pests and disease, and take necessary actions — if you have an infected plant, you should “quarantine”, aka separate it to prevent infecting the others.

  • Remove dead and/or dying leaves/blooms if there are any as they’re unsightly. Water the plants if needed. Consider fertilizing them, if necessary (depending on your plant).

  • Repot the ones that have outgrown their current pots into larger ones.

    
    

• Declutter your living room.

  • Do you have mail and magazines waiting around to be sorted? It will only take you a few minutes to go through them.

  • A bunch of candles burned or almost burned out? Remove the wax and reuse the glass containers for pillar candles (as pictured above), or other DIY projects, including using them as vases or for potting plants.

  • Organize things like cables, cords, extra candles, etc. in cute storage boxes like these, or these to keep them out of sight, but always easy to find.

  • Store extra blankets or throw pillows in pretty storage baskets or collapsible ottomans like this one or this one.

    
    

• Clean and organize your fridge.

  I have to admit that this is one area of our home that I mostly neglect. Hubby took upon himself the task of organizing the fridge, and I generally just grab what I need from it, and that’s about it. However, this week I had to take over.

  • Take everything out, clean and disinfect the fridge, and inspect your food, condiments, and whatever else you keep in it for expiration dates, signs of mold, spoilage, etc.

  • Toss what is no longer salvageable and prioritize using the items close to their expiration date (place them in the front so you don’t forget about them).

  • Place fruits and veggies in their own separate drawer, and check that the humidity level is set appropriately — low for fruits, and high for veggies (if your fridge has that option).

    
    

• Take inventory of your pantry.

  Follow the same process for your pantry.

  • Are there things that have expired or are expiring soon? Discard the expired items, and consider prioritizing cooking/using the ones that are close to their expiration date.

  • Are there items that are missing, but you normally use/need? Add them to your shopping list.

  • If you live in a hurricane-prone area, consider stocking up on items that have a long shelf-life to get an early start to the hurricane prep season.

• Go through your bathroom vanity/medicine cabinet, and shower.

  • First and foremost, check your medicine, along with its expiration date. Ensure you have everything you need, and add to your shopping list what you’re missing.

  • Discard empty containers.

  • Check your skincare/makeup items; toss what is past its time and/or what you don’t use or doesn’t work for you.

  • Clean your makeup brushes and sponges.

  • Clean your hairbrushes and hair tools.

  • After you take inventory of what you have, take note of what you may need and/or are low on, and add it to your shopping list.

  • If you like, display your most used items on a pretty tray on your vanity or countertop.

  • Organize your items in aesthetically pleasing storage boxes like these, or these to prevent them from rolling all over, and to find them easier.

    
    

• Inspect your closet (including linens).

  I hate it when I want to wear something and find that either a button is loose or missing, or the item has some mysterious stain, tear, etc, or, is wrinkled. To avoid this:

  • Check your clothes for stains, damage, etc. If you can clean or repair them, and they’re worth it (in cases of more serious damage), keep them. Otherwise, toss.

  • I’ll say it again — take inventory of your clothes. Be honest with yourself about items you haven’t worn in a long time; is it the pandemic that’s stopping you, or something else? I’m not one to part with my clothes easily, especially my dresses. However, I had to admit to myself that I don’t like wearing short dresses anymore, and as much as I loved the ones I had, I knew they were only taking space. So I donated them. If you can, consider doing the same.

  • Get into the habit of ironing/pressing/steaming your clothes, if needed, right after you wash them. That way, whenever you want to wear something, it will be ready.

  • Inspect your shoes, organize and clean them as needed.

  • Do the same with your accessories, jewelry, and watches. Add [the appropriate] watch batteries to your shopping list, if needed, and try not to keep them in the watches you don’t wear regularly, to prevent damage.

  • If you have the space, consider displaying some of your jewelry (especially the one you plan to wear) on pretty trays or organizers.

  • Consider vacuum-sealing items that you don’t use often to save space, and keep them clean, and organized.

Now, organizing is [somewhat] easy, however, maintaining a space organized is another issue, and that’s where the most important part of this post comes.

I’ve said it many times because it’s true — a clean house is very important to me, and I feel so much better waking up to or coming back to a clean home. I’ve made it a habit to put things where they belong as soon as I’m done with them to maintain order. I also always wipe the countertops and stove in the kitchen and put the dishes away as soon as the "kitchen closes for the night”, aka, after we eat and wash our plates and utensils. It literally takes me 5 minutes!

I also make an effort to tidy everything every night before going to bed. A quick dusting of surfaces, fluffing the pillows, rearranging the blankets and other objects, etc. is part of my nightly routine. Again, it takes me 5-10 minutes and saves me time in the long run.

I hope you find this post helpful.

xoxo,

Em