The start of a new year often comes with big goals to get organized, but not much energy left to tackle them. After a busy holiday season, even small tasks can feel overwhelming.
Luckily, professional organizers say there are a few small, low-effort home organizing tweaks you can make over a single weekend that will instantly restore a sense of calm to your space.
No intense decluttering methods to get to grips with or ambitious organizing projects – just smart, easy adjustments that will reduce the visual noise in your home and make everyday routines easier.
Weekend Organizing Tweaks to Make Your Home Feel Calmer
1. Clear Flat Surfaces First
Clearing visual clutter in a living room or in a bedroom is a quick and easy way to reset your home when you have little to no energy, assures Jamie Hord, Founder of Horderly Professional Organizing. Simply use the Ski Slope organizing method with a folding laundry basket from Joseph Joseph, at Wayfair, to blitz around your home and collect clutter, and return it to its rightful homes.
'The less clutter you have on your counter, the more zen your home can feel,' Jamie says. 'Add things like fresh florals and a candle to set a fresh mood as well. Tackle main areas like entryways, drop zones, bathroom vanities, and nightstands to really make you feel more at ease at home.'
The clear floor policy applies here, too, so don't forget to look down past table tops as you tidy.
Brenda Scott, professional organizer and owner of Tidy My Space, adds, 'Clear out any shoes or boots that are not currently being worn from the entryway. Usually, this means putting out-of-season or sports footwear in a bedroom closet or tucked away until it's needed. This clears the entryway for the necessities only. This also goes for coats.'
An under-bed storage bag, from Walmart, makes easy work of stashing away currently unused essentials, whilst a smart, space-saving tiered shoe organizer from Joseph Joseph, available at Amazon, will organize what's left well.
2. Tackle at Least Some of the Laundry
Very few of us like doing laundry, but it is hard to deny how much calmer a house feels once a pile of dirty clothes has been washed, folded, and returned to the closet.
Jamie says, 'Laundry can quickly pile up and create piles everywhere around the house, especially over the festive period. If you do have the energy, focus on not only getting all the laundry washed but also decluttering the closet so that it's super easy to put all the clothes away. The less frustration you have with putting something away, the more inclined you will be actually to put it away.'
It is the simplest way to stop clutter before it starts, and you can clear away items you have not worn over winter to sell or donate, to create some extra space.
If you are super low-energy, at the very least, attempt some laundry organization hacks to make the job easier in the future. Something as simple as investing in a pre-divided laundry hamper, such as the Joseph Joseph Tota Trio from Amazon, can make sorting clothes for laundry quick and intuitive, making the chore less overwhelming.
The Joseph Joseph hamper has become a favorite for Head of Solved, Punteha van Terheyden, who has chronic pain and mobility issues, and therefore needs to use adaptive pacing when doing chores. She adds, 'I have two of these hampers now as they're so helpful and cut out the time I used to spend struggling on the floor to separate colors.
'If you have a top-loading washer, it's even more of a gem. Simply use the extra handle on the bottom of each compartment bag to tip a pre-sorted load straight into the wash.'
3. Make Your Bed Before Leaving the Bedroom
It's so simple but surprisingly effective for making your bedroom feel refreshed, so don't underestimate the calming power of making a bed – especially when you have next to no energy for anything else.
Amélie Saint-Jacques, organizing expert, Kon-Mari Consultant, and owner of Amélie Organizes, says, 'Make your bed first thing in the morning. It doesn't even have to be perfectly made – just pulling the comforter up will instantly make your bedroom feel calmer!'
Investing in the best bed sheets can make any bed look instantly elevated, too, for an extra boost. We rated the Cozy Earth Bamboo Sheet Set our best overall for its silk-like sheen, graceful aging, and temperature regulation.
4. Implement a Nightly Reset
A closing shift routine is a simple habit that allows you to calm your home without chores getting in the way of your free time at the weekend.
Amélie says, 'Do a nightly reset; wash the dirty dishes, or at least put them in the dishwasher, and wipe down the kitchen counters. Put things back where they belong in the common areas of the house.'
When building a nightly routine, add one task at a time until they all feel automatic, and your mind acts on autopilot, rather than trying to start several new habits all at once. This can lead to feeling overwhelmed when tidying and lead you to abandon the new habit altogether.
With that perfected, you can then consider starting an opening shift routine, too, to prevent your home from becoming stressful throughout the day.
If you generally find chores stressful or overwhelming, our guide with psychologist tips to help you reset your nervous system and complete chores successfully is packed with brilliant and easy-to-implement soothing actions you can try right now.
5. Create a 'Lost and Found' Bin
No matter how good your home organizing systems are, there will always be a few odds and ends that feel impossible to categorize, even with the cousin-coworker method. The solution, Amélie suggests, is to create a catch-all for them.
'Another tip is to create a "Lost and Found" bin,' she says. 'It can be a home for things like wireless earbuds, loose change, and any stray or small items you come across and don't quite know what to do with.'
We suggest putting this catch-all, usually comprising a pretty storage basket, available at Target, somewhere easily accessible for all of the family, so that they can look for items without having to ask. This, in turn, reduces the mental load and is a quick weekend task that can make a home feel calmer in the long run.
What to Shop
After using it for a year in her home, Head of Solved, Punteha van Terheyden, loves this handy laundry hamper so much, she's bought a second for her bedroom. Say goodbye to manual sorting and enjoy the effortless way laundry gets separated as it fills.
Measuring 8x10x11 inches, these handwoven water hyacinth baskets are ideal for drop zones, shelves, and cabinets. Corral loose shelf items inside to reduce the visual clutter and stress of open storage.
These under-bed storage bags on wheels are easy to pull out, and maintain good ventilation for items to curb mold or musty bedroom smells while out-of-season clothes are in longer-term storage.
This small rope coiled basket has an open top, helping to hide small bits of everyday clutter without making them inaccessible. It is ideal as a catch-all and comes in a bright and refreshing cream color, too.
Enjoy the Japanese art of decluttering in Marie Kondo's New York Times bestselling book. It packs so much information into a mere 200 pages, in a readable and digestible format that's accessible to all readers of all ages.
Clean as you go when organizing your home, killing two birds with one stone. This non-toxic, all-purpose spray is ideal for mixed surfaces all over the home, so you don't have to faff with several products when you are low on energy
Meet the Experts
Constantly feel bogged down by chores? Don't fret. The experts also have some smart ways to make a to-do list less overwhelming to help you tackle tough tasks and beat procrastination.
