We always hear about spring cleaning and how it’s important, and beneficial, and blah, blah, blah. Just kidding, I’m not knocking spring cleaning, but I think when we organize for winter, it’s just as, if not more, important. I don’t know about you, but winter is when we spend the most time indoors, and an organized life makes those cozy days and nights so much more enjoyable.
Why it’s important to organize for winter:
Aside from the obvious, like taking back the ability to find things in your house without losing your mind, there are several key reasons why you should organize for winter.
Less stress
Stress is always at the top of my list of reasons to get organized for any season or occasion, not just winter. When the physical aspects of my life are disorganized (my schedule, house, laundry, finances, etc.), my mind feels disorganized, too.
But when those aspects of my life are in order, I feel much less stressed out. And we all know winter is super crazy with the holidays, ends of semesters, and family gatherings. And that’s just December and part of January! Every single year, I forget that winter extends past the holidays, and it’s always a bitter disappointment. You mean we have two more months of this nonsense?! Sorry, I have very strong feelings about winter.
The year Little Man was born was the most disorganized winter I’ve ever experienced. It’s understandable because we had a newborn, but I was still more stressed than I needed to be. Hindsight being what it is, if I could do it again, I would prepare a little more and organize for winter instead of waiting until the last minute to put things together (but how much can you actually prepare for a becoming parents for the first time, amiright?)
Able to enjoy holidays
Following on the previous topic, organizing for winter helps make the holidays more enjoyable. Unfortunately, our culture cultivates the holiday madness, convincing us that we “just have” to do this, this, and this. And consequently, many of us feel burned out when Christmas rolls around.
But if you organize for winter before things get crazy, then you are free to enjoy the holidays, relax with your family, and do the things that are important.
How to organize for winter
So because I want you to have a relaxing, enjoyable, stress-free season, here are my top five ways to organize for winter.
First, organize your finances.
This is the area of life that most people want to be more organized in, but the one that scares them the most. There are tons and tons of blogs out there to help with budgeting (my favorite is the Busy Budgeter). Organize for winter by taking a good, hard look at your finances.
Figure out a debt-payoff plan, plan a holiday budget, or even just resolve to find one way to save money this season (like cutting out one restaurant meal a week). I always feel super accomplished and like I have my life together when our finances are organized.
Second, do a closet purge.
We literally did our own closet purge this week, and I can’t tell you how great it feels to open those doors and not have stuff spilling out. Between my husband and me, we gathered six huge bags of clothes for donation. I didn’t even know we had that many clothes!
We started by emptying our chest of drawers. We chose to keep only what fit in them (workout clothes, comfies, etc.), and donating the rest. I even got rid of several pairs of pajamas (I know, just when I shared how to start a Christmas Eve pajama tradition…but in my defense, we’ve had that tradition for five years, so that’s a lot of jammies!).
Then, we cleared out the closet, and I actually feel excited when deciding what to wear! I’m trying the whole capsule-wardrobe thing, so I ruthlessly got rid of stuff. And I feel so much better knowing I love everything in my closet!
Third, declutter, declutter, declutter.
I know I’ve share how this organized girl is bad at decluttering in the past, but I’m getting much better at it! One of the best ways to organize for winter is to declutter your spaces, especially your flat surfaces like counters and tables. Nothing makes a home feel disorganized more than clutter.
Fourth, do a deep clean.
I know, cleaning sucks; there’s really no way around it. If you want to organize for winter, this is a sure way to get you there. I’m in the process of my deep clean right now, and it’s going pretty well. I’m cleaning areas of my house that haven’t been touched in a long time, and it’s a little scary.
Part of what stemmed this deep clean is that we’re having Little Man’s first birthday party at our house. And there’s nothing like the prospect of a bunch of people in your home to motivate you to get it clean.
Everyone loves a clean house, so organize for winter by cleaning those baseboards, dusting behind those bookcases, and attack those bathrooms!
Finally, organize your schedule.
This one is super important. Winter is really hard because most of us have a pretty hefty schedule. Parties, performances, and all the rest can be hard to keep straight, so organize for winter by planning your schedule.
If you don’t use a planner, now is the time to start (I personally love the Living Well Planner). There are so many great options to help your time management.
So write all those things down, and be proud of yourself for not double-booking or forgetting an event.
Okay, mama! It’s time to organize for winter! Spend some time getting your home, finances, and schedule under control, and then sit back, and enjoy the season. I promise it’s worth it!
What do you do to organize for winter? Tell us about it in the comments!
