January 2016 Goal: Organize the Household Clutter

Last year we joined the Monthly Goals series and found it to be a great way to keep us motivated during the year to tackle a variety of resolutions. Rather than kicking off January with a whole list of resolutions, each month we selected a new goal and worked towards meeting that goal.

This year we're again excited to be joining in on the Monthly Goals series. I quickly realized last year that it was best for our family to focus on just one set of goals at a time, so each month we'll have a specific theme.

For January 2016 we're actually returning to a 2015 goal: 

Organize the Household Clutter

We spent the early part of the beginning of 2015 focusing on the goals of organizing and decluttering. I loved the changes we were able to make in our house. We redesigned household spaces, donated or gave away unused items, and in general had less clutter laying around.

But of course, things happen, families get busy, and our routines started slipping. (Even with an always ready donation bin set in the basement.) So we ended December with what feels like a lot of clutter again.

My plan is to tackle these few spaces/problem areas and share my progress with you:

• Clean out and reorganize the boys' playroom so that they both have space for the play they're interested in.

• Figure out a new system for taking care of paperwork and bills.

• Continue to donate/give away/recycle/trash items around the house which are no longer purposeful or used.

• Stop using our bedroom as "dumping" place for other things that have no place in the house. If it doesn't have a place, do we really need it?

10 posts from around the web that are helping me think about clearing out and organizing our clutter:

My whole life I've held onto things just a little too long. This post from Sunlit Spaces has great insight on 12 things you should throw away.

Natural Beach Living also put together a list of 10 things to get rid of today to simplify your life. I especially appreciate how several of their ideas include the whole family.

If clutter triggers something in you as a parent that makes you grumpy, you are not alone. I know there are days that the fact things are feeling too cluttered gets to me. Dirt and Boogers has a really honest and positive post about changing habits if your someone who gets overwhelmed by clutter.

I love this post from Toddler Approved with 11 Helpful Ideas to Deal with Toy Clutter. There are some ideas I've already tried and several more I'm looking forward to trying right away.

I read this post over a year ago from White House Black Shutters about how she keeps toys from taking over their home and was in awe. I don't think I can ever get that organized, but I love it and I know I can still apply some of the ideas.

If you have a Lego loving kid like I do, you're probably also aware of how quickly these toys multiply. This post by Holly Homer over at Modern Parents Messy Kids has been one of the most helpful posts I've ever read for organizing legos. We've tackled steps one and two, now we need to think a little about step three.

I'm not quite sure we have the space in our house for something as organized as this Family Command Center from Lemon Lime Adventures but it is inspiring me to think out what I might create like it. I know this would particularly help with some of the paper clutter that comes home from both boys' schools and to-do items my husband and I need to tackle.

Speaking of papers, between school papers and all our projects we can wind up with a huge stack of papers hanging around the house. And usually they wind up on the hutch in the kitchen, only to be "moved" when company comes. As we no longer have an office space, paper clutter is definitely something we need to tackle. How Does She? put together 15 awesome tips for organizing papers.

Another great paper idea organization idea is to create these "Memory Boxes" for each child. My Joy-filled Life shared how they can get a file for each year to hold onto school papers.

We have a pretty small house, so often my organization struggle is rooted in figuring out where to put things. I love the inspirational ideas The Kids Activities Blog rounded up in this post on 27 ideas for organizing in small spaces.

We'll be sharing more ideas, and some of our own projects as the month goes by. Don't forget to check us out both on Facebook and Instagram. (On Instragram we'll be using #monthlygoals2016)

Will you also be tackling some decluttering and organizing this month? Comment below on the number one space in your house you'd like to organize.

And don't forget to check out the other posts in this month's Monthly Goals Series!

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