With the New Year, comes the “new year, new me” saying and a whole bunch of other resolutions that people set for themselves and hope to achieve in the following weeks and months. I’m guilty of being one of these people who set New Year’s resolutions but fail to accomplish them (such as going to the gym more or not cracking my knuckles as much haha) but I’m hoping to set goals this year that will be better for my health and for my lifestyle this year.
I’m the type of person who likes things to be neat and organized, but my room and my desk can be a pigsty 😡 I got tired of looking at the piles of junk on my desk and wanted to make a change this year and actually stick to it since a neat desk encourages productivity and creativity! I grew up with my parents always nagging me to clean my desk area and my room, and to stay on top of chores such as washing the dishes or doing the laundry, and I have to say I’m grateful for these fundamental tasks since I am better prepared to eventually living on my own in the future.
Chinese culture likes to associate the New Year with throwing away old things and clutter, and cleaning everything to bring in good luck and fortune to the home. I subscribe to many different magazines, such as HGTV, Real Simple, and All You for tips and ideas on interior design, DIY, and home improvement and organization tips and wanted to share some of my thoughts on where you can start if you’d like to be a neater, more organized person for the New Year, like me!
- Empty out your purse! Get rid of any old gum wrappers, receipts, or miscellaneous items you don’t need or use anymore. Clutter breeds junk and you’ll just end up having a hard time finding what you need when you go out.
- Organize your desk space and clear it every time you are done with your day’s work. Make it a habit both at home and at work so the papers don’t pile up making it harder for you to clean later on if you become less motivated.
- If you’re like me, you have a desk drawer that you stuff with miscellaneous items that is SO messy. You can invest or even build your own drawer organizer to stick little items in each section to make it easier to find what you need! I’m still working on this bullet haha…
- If you have shelves, they are your best friend. Keep them organized with your books, vanity items, snacks (confession: my top shelf is dedicated to all my snacks) and other items!
- Make it a weekly habit to vacuum, sweep, mop (whatever works for you!) your floors so you don’t accumulate dust or dirt, especially if you wear shoes at home or have pets since you/your pets can track in dirt from outside.
- START SMALL! No one is telling you that you have to do EVERYTHING in one day. You can work on one room at a time, such as a room per day. You can even create your own schedule! You can put your most dreaded room first like Monday’s for cleaning your bathroom, to Friday’s for cleaning/organizing your bedroom, and weekends for cleaning your living spaces (you get the idea) 🙂
- This is totally up to you, but if you’re a germophobe like me and you live in an urban area where you commute on public transit, you can not fathom how many germs and bacteria you come across in the trains or buses (ew). I haven’t implemented this in my home yet, but I would like to start wiping my phone down with rubbing alcohol at the end of each day or week (end of the work week is probably better since bacteria can build resistance!), and wiping down the doorknobs in my house at the end of each week.
These resolutions seem simply enough right? Please let me know your thoughts and if you have other cleaning resolutions you’d like to share! 🙂
A Healthy Blueprint 