You’re hearing it everywhere: new year, new goals, new you–but hey, let’s not overwhelm. Take a breath and let’s ease into this with some achievable-right-now steps to create some calm at home for moving forward this year

Here’s what I’m doing.

Tip #1 – Get Christmas put away.

You may have the garland off the mantle, the ornaments off the tree, and the cute stuff off the porch and sitting in the dining room. Now, block off an evening or Saturday morning to finalize.  You can enlist family members to either watch the little people or to pitch in and tote the boxes. Put on your favorite playlist–or theirs, whatever it takes. Set a timer, give yourself a specific time frame to finish, and then add 30 minutes to vacuum and fast track the dust cloth. If you were successful recruiting helpers, when you’re done take everyone out for ice cream. If you flew solo, high five yourself! And take you out for coffee or a mani-pedi!

(If you didn’t see my ebook about less-stress holiday decorating and put-away, think about this one tip for next year: when you set up, put all the decor you clear away from the space INTO THE HOLIDAY BOXES. It’s a win-win. You store the regular items AND you have them ready at hand to replace as you take down Christmas!)

Tip #2: Spend time with family.

If you utilized Christmas clearout (above) as family time, good for you.  If you weren’t able to coax anyone off their devices to wrap ornaments in tissue, that’s ok. But by all means, do plan some family time to ask, “What’s something we could each start this year?” Practice spiraling the football in the back yard? Family board games? Running? Planning a road trip? Get their input, plan for it, and support each other in new endeavors this year.

Tip #3: Catch up on photos.

Whether you go digital or print and scrapbook, get a grip on your family memories by sorting your photos. Maybe you’d like to make a memory book for last year. Digital books are sooo easy now, using your local drugstore or an online photo company. Get the kids to pick their favorites, upload photos to your favorite site, pick a theme–BOOM! The site will even autofill your photos into the book. No artistic ability required! Or have older kids make an iMovie featuring favorite photos and videos.  This could be a great New Year’s tradition, and a great way to keep your family story current.

Tip #4: Clean out the kid stuff.

No doubt your kids’ quotient of toys, devices, and clothing increased over Christmas. Know that clutter Drags. You. Down. Declare war on clutter this year. Take a day to sort ruthlessly, filling big bags or boxes as you go. Trash items with missing pieces or that are worn out or broken. Give away to charity those duplicates, as well as anything outgrown or unloved that can be reused. Keep only the amount that your kids can reasonably wear or play with.  (Did you know studies show that having fewer toys increases creativity? And how many pairs of leggings does she really need?)

Now, then! After a reset and refresh at home, you’ll be ready for all the new venturesis year holds for you and your loved ones.

I am passionate about partnering with people to quiet the design chaos around them, so we  can focus on creating the space that feels authentically “them”.

Does this solution sound like something that would create both peace and excitement in your home?  Let me answer your questions in a complimentary phone call. Email me here to set it up.