Organizing Your Holiday Gifts
With the holiday rush coming to a close, we’re all feeling an abundance of joy, love, and motivation to end the year strong. With that, you may also be faced with an abundance of newly gifted items and nowhere to put them! If you’re already organized or have systems in place throughout your home, the idea of finding a home for each of these new items might feel overwhelming. The good news about organizational systems, however, is that when done right, they should allow for flexibility and room to evolve. If yours don’t or you’re feeling stuck, here are 3 foolproof steps to incorporate your new items into your already-organized inventory. We’ve broken down this post-holiday organizing process to help you find a home for every new toy, gadget, or goody you received this year!
1 Determine Zones and Categories
As you sort through your new items, think about where each one should go in your home by separating like-items into existing zones and categories you already have in place. For each one, ask yourself, “does this item go well in my bathroom, kitchen, playroom, or another area of the home?” Once you’ve determined which zone your item will best thrive in, and the specific category that it fits into with your current systems, judge whether there’s enough space to add the new items in permanently.
2 Sort Through Existing Inventory
As you add to your inventory, now’s the perfect time to take a look at what you already own and decide if you can pare your collections down to make room for your new items. As you go through your belongings to edit, think about how often you use items, how much you truly love them, and how essential they are to your everyday life. Purging less-used items is a great way to make space for items that will be well-loved and appreciated. The key here is to make sure that you’re basing each system on your day-to-day routine, and what you use most and truly need. Going through this process will ensure that every item in your home has an intentional home and make it easy to maintain in the future. If you’re not ready to part with items that make up a certain collection, but it’s overflowing with your new additions, you might consider designating an additional space or a backstock zone for it.
3 Leave a Little Wiggle Room
The key to long-term success in any organizational system is making sure that you leave space for growth. If there’s one constant in life, it’s change. Just because a particular system suits your needs perfectly now doesn’t mean it will always be what you need. Incorporating your new holiday gift items in this year may serve as a perfect reminder of this. Remember, this is why it’s more important to think about making progress than achieving perfection as you organize. By allowing space for change to occur, your systems will be maintainable and functional as life goes on. Life happens. Things can change, so your organizational systems don’t have to be set in stone. They should be able to reflect the life you’re leading at present!
No matter how you choose to organize the gifts you received over the holidays into your home, it’s always a great time to maintain, revamp, and elevate the systems that you currently have in place. Organization can always be adjusted and transformed to suit your life, and incorporating new items into existing organizational systems is a great way to utilize the organization you have in place, while keeping it current and functional for you! If you’re looking for support as you tackle home organization or just touch up your systems, be sure to sign up for the LIJ Book Club, which follows along with Jen’s book, Life in Jeneral. The challenge starts in January! Sign up here.