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5 Simple Steps to Start YOUR Year Off Right

Some people like to make New Year’s resolutions. Others realize that these resolutions are forgotten within a few weeks. Have you ever proclaimed “I’m going to lose 25 pounds this year”? Or what about this resolution. “This will be the year that I quit smoking.” The list goes on and on.

So most of us either don’t make them at all or we follow the newest trend of setting goals for the year instead. Does this sound more like you?

Well, if one of your goals is to make some progress on your home decorating or even a remodel, you need to follow these 5 simple steps to make sure that you start your 2014 off right.

1. De-Clutter your space. Most of us have way too much stuff sitting out, stuffed into drawers and closets, and packed up in storage units. With a new year beginning it’s time to create a new beginning for your home and say “bye bye” to anything that you aren’t using and will probably never use. This was on my top TO DO list this week. So I can speak from personal experience that it is VERY freeing!

My very cluttered cook book cabinet

2. Get Organized. Now that you have some free space, it’s time to get it organized in a way that will work best for YOU.

3. Make an Assessment. Make a list of what you have that you love and what you don’t want to keep. Next create a list of things that you would like to have in your newly designed or re-designed space.

4. Make a Plan. Planning is the very first thing that you must do before starting your project. Imagine how time consuming and costly it would be if you saw something amazing in a magazine and ran out and bought it. But before you had it installed, you saw something that you loved even more. Can you visualize what I’m saying? Or maybe, when you had time to compare, you realize that the quality isn’t what you had expected.

5. Work the Plan. When you have a plan in hand, it’s easy to do your homework and your shopping to buy exactly what you need. You’ll be able to take advantage of sales, auctions, and flea markets if you choose. And that’s the point….It’s YOUR choice, and shouldn’t be dictated by a time crunch because you procrastinated or bought the wrong thing two months ago. I always find that my clients start to lose steam after about 4 weeks of planning. So when you make your list, determine what you can accomplish quickly and easily within 4-6 weeks. Then maybe save the rest for another time.