It's almost the New Year so here we are...making lists that will hopefully (fingers crossed) make this the best year ever. Right? I'm with you and I although it seems cliche, I really love January and making new goals for the new year. I have my Erin Condren life planner all filled out and I'm ready to go!
I do need some reminders every year though. It is easy to go all out in the organizing (buying new planners, cleaning out all of the things, driving your husband crazy) and then we lose steam by mid January. I put this list together of small things I could do at school and at home to keep my decluttering, list making, goal setting heart happy.
#1 Storage Solutions
I have tried it all! File folders, binders, bins, or just stuff it in the closet (my favorite!) After 15 years in the classroom these under the bed bins are my favorite for 3 reasons. #1-they make me. limit what I can keep. #2-they stack easily in my closet. #3-I can see what I have in one glance. I blogged all about these HERE if you want to see more.
#2 Start Small
Take a moment or two before your new year starts to clean out that one drawer that you throw everything into (I have one at home AND at school!) You know the one I am talking about. Organize it into a useful space so you have what you need at your fingertips. I also try to clear off my desk before I leave school each day so I don't return to a cluttered mess. These are small things, but they make a big difference.
#3 Set a Timer
I swear this tip is just for me but if you are like me you will find yourself down a rabbit hole once you start cleaning. Pretty soon everything you have in closets is out on tables and you just want to go home. Set a timer so you don't do that! 10 minutes of decluttering at the end of each day will go a long way!
#4 Shred the Shred Pile
Best investment I ever made! At school I have a shred pile that is a very large stack of things that I can not just throw away because student names/info etc. That stack just gets larger and larger! Spend 5 minutes every week making the trip to shredder so that stack won't haunt you all year long. At home, I purchased this shredder and now when we get junk mail that we don't want to toss because our names are on it I just shred it as soon as it comes in the door. No more piles of junk mail! Click on the pic for an affiliate link. I got mine a year ago and it has held up to all of my shredding!
Those are a few ways I am going to declutter at home and at school to kick off my new year in a (hopefully) a more productive way. Here is a fun January Decluttering Challenge if you would like to try some of these ideas. I've also included a blank calendar so you can use that to jot down some ideas of your own.
Do you want to see what January centers are stored in those boxes? Here you go!
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