5 New Year’s Resolutions You’ll Want to Keep for Your Home
It’s traditional around the new year to make lists of resolutions that plan a new start. Chances are, however, about a week into the new year, you may decide it’s just too much trouble to keep any of those resolutions. 2022 is going to be different – we’ve created a non-daunting list of tasks you can tackle with ease over the next 12 months…
Make a Long-Term Plan
Because none of these resolutions are things you have to do every day, one of the best ways to make sure that you’ll stick to your goals is to plan the tasks out in advance. Make a list, whether monthly or quarterly, of what you need to do to keep an organised home. Then, check it regularly to tick off those tasks.
*Tip
Now is the perfect time to plan not just for this year but for the next festive season as well. While it’s all still fresh in your mind, think about how you’d like to handle things next time around and things you might like to buy for next Christmas, which you may be able to get reduced in the sales or in the middle of next summer. I also spotted recently on social media that someone put money in with their decorations as a takeaway treat surprise for the following year – love that!
Clean Room by Room
The very start of the year is always about cleaning: You have to gather up the wrapping paper, get rid of the tree, and clean up after the party you had to ring in the new year (possible restrictions allowing). Because you have to do all of this already, it’s easy enough to just keep going and do a deep clean of your home. Take it room by room, tackling the busiest/messiest rooms first. Get everyone involved in a scrub, vacuum, rinse, and repeat until your home looks brand-new again. At the start of every new quarter (that’s mid-April, mid-July, and mid-September), do another deep clean room by room.
Purge Your Spaces
Cleaning is always a great place to start but creating real change in your home will require you to take it a step further and purge some of the things you don’t need. At first, this can seem a little daunting, but be ruthless. If something hasn’t seen the light of day for an entire year (or more), then you’ve spent an entire year proving to yourself that you don’t really need it.
Don’t forget, it doesn’t all have to be done at once. Tackle one room per month – you have the whole year remember! The important thing is to be methodical. Don’t just start ripping open closets and drawers and pulling everything out. A big pile of stuff in the middle of the room could be too overwhelming. Take one cupboard, one draw, one worktop space at a time. Break it down into smaller sections.
Bring Fresh Flowers Home
This may sound like a little thing, but you’ll be surprised at the impact that a vase of fresh flowers can have on you and your home. Compared to some of the other options, florals are among the least expensive makeovers you can bring to a space. Plus, you deserve it for the purges and all the cleaning!
Schedule Maintenance Jobs
Parts of your home need regular maintenance throughout the year. For example, the boiler should be inspected before next winter, gutters need to be cleaned in both spring and autumn etc.
Instead of counting on yourself to remember to make those appointments throughout the year, sit down and make the calls now. Ask if you can schedule them months in advance, then note them on your calendar.
Planning throughout the year will help you keep on top of your home with much less stress and hopefully give you more time to spend enjoying with friends and family.