New year, fresh start: 5 easy ways to get organised for January (and you can start today)

The absolute chaos that was 2020 is on its very last legs.

THANK GOD. And as this year is nearing its long-awaited end, I am more than ready to close that book and embrace the new, fresh and – hopefully – much brighter days of 2021. I feel like this is the year when we will all reclaim our lives. Get back to business. Embrace all the things we love again – literally and metaphorically. And to me, nothing says fresh start like getting on top of things and feeling like my life is organised. A clean slate for the fresh, new year. Some new healthy and tidy habits to keep us feeling like we are running our lives in 2021, and not the other way around. Because the thing is, decluttering and organising isn’t just about cleaning. A tidy space and tidy, organised surroundings will also make for a tidier mind – studies have shown it. And feeling like we are in control and have our surroundings organised, will also increase feelings of happiness, joy and contentment. No, really.

Are you ready? Here are five easy ways to get (more) organised for the new year:

Easy organizing hacks for your new year to-do list

1. Tidy out your handbag (and wallet) Bin everything you don't need, toss old receipts, Luas tickets and notes, and re-organise items in there so that they are easy to find and stays in an order that makes sense. If you really want to impress yourself, clean out your bag and wallet with a damp cloth too, before putting only the things you need there back in.

2. Get a calendar up on the wall Trust me on this one – sometimes Google calendars or Outlook ones don't suffice – and having things written down for the whole family to see (dentist appointments, ballet classes, work deadlines) makes it all the easier for things not to get missed. Bonus: You'll feel so much more in control every morning, being able to just glance at your calendar and know what you – and everyone else – have on that day. 3. Organise your email Take control, whether you have 200 or – gulp – 2000 emails clogging up your inbox. Delete old or unimportant emails. File away the ones you genuinely need to keep. And going forward, to keep your inbox clean, unsubscribe from those annoying marketing emails. (Or use an online service like Unroll.me). 4. And don't skip your desktop either We are aiming for clean, organised and easy to navigate. Meaning, you need to get rid of those four hundred random icons and saved screenshots that are currently clogging up our desktop, making it look messy. Tidy it by creating a filing system and putting each file in its designated folder. Then, just to finish things off, download a nice, inspiring wallpaper and update that. Job done. 5. Tackle your fridge and pantry Nothing says ready for a fresh, new start like a tidy, clean and organised kitchen, and the best places to start are your fridge and pantry. Toss anything expired, and move everything about to expire to the front, so that it can be used within the next few days. Wipe down every surface, make a list of what you have and what you need to stock up on, and last, but not least, get yourself to your nearest The Organised Store (or TK Maxx, even) and stock up on containers, fridge bins and baskets that will make it easier to group items and keep stock of what you have at any given time.