New Year’s Resolution Series: Ring in 2011 with New Year’s Resolutions for a Clean and Organized Home

But as I said, the holidays have me beat and I needed some inspiration to freshen up my post-holiday clutter control tactics! So I’ve scoured the web and talked to friends in order to round up some of the brightest ideas to help me – and all the Out of Office readers – start the new year off right with an organized, holiday-decoration-free home! 

·         Start a tradition around the annual undoing of the holiday decorations around your house. Out of Office guest blogger Stephanie Buttrill’s family always spends New Year’s Day together taking down the Christmas tree, boxing up ornaments and putting away the stockings for another year. As she says, “New Year’s Day is the one time you’re all sure to be home together, so why not get it done and make a family activity out of it?”

·         Label your holiday décor. It’s a whole lot easier to decorate the house for the holidays in 2011 if you know what’s in each box! Try to keep things simple by separating items – ornaments in one box (of three, in my case!), stockings and mantel decorations in another, holiday dishes and entertaining items in yet another. You get the idea… Just be sure to stick a bright and shiny label on the box so you know what you’re working with next winter.

·         Free yourself from “almost done” wrapping paper rolls by finding other uses for it. Check out our blog post from last year about unexpected ways to use wrapping paper after the holidays – but there are so many more out there. Two great comments to that post even told us how they use wrapping paper leftovers to make Halloween decorations or scrapbook supplies for the next year! I even found videos with tips on how to make bows with wrapping paper scraps, tips on wrapping paper party decorations and more.

 Hope all our Out of Office readers have a happy and healthy 2011!