New Year's Week

By Cynthia Townley Ewer
Editor, OrganizedChristmas.com
Author, Houseworks: Cut the Clutter, Speed Your Cleaning and Calm the Chaos

Houseworks by Cynthia Townley Ewer
All good times must end; it's time to wrap up the Houseworks Holiday Plan and move into an organized New Year.

Tying up the season's loose ends, we'll make New Year's resolutions, remove and store holiday decor, and set the stage for next year's celebration.

See you next year!

This Week's Focus: New Year!

Reading Assignments from Houseworks:

  • Habit, the Household Wonder Worker - page 82
    Bring the power of habit to the New Year's resolutions.
  • Create A Center for Paper - page 226
    Get organized for a great New Year--and ready for tax time!--with an activity center for paper-handling.

Inspiration from the Web:

This Week's Houseworks Checklist

  • Minimum maintenance. It's the organized solution for busy times: a rock-bottom chore checklist of must-do household chores. Does your household have one?

    Create a minimum maintenance checklist and post it publicly. Encourage family members to pitch in and share the work. Delegate, delegate, delegate!

This Week's Holiday Prep Checklist

  • Make New Year's resolutions. This year, don't just make them, keep them as you harness the power of paper. Use a free Resolutions form to pin new habits down on paper.
  • Set up a calendar for the new year. Designate a fresh new calendar. You've polished calendaring skills as you've worked the plan, so carry them forward into the new year.
  • Hold a holiday debriefing. Get a head-start on next year's planning--and avoid traps--with a quick debriefing session.
  • Swap extra cards and gift wrap with a friend. Don't let those last few cards languish for fear of sending them again. Swap extras--gift wrap, too--with a friend. You'll both have fresh new cards to recycle next year.
  • Take down remaining decorations. All good things have to end--and the visible Ghost of Christmas Past can be a real disincentive to an organized new year. Take down remaining holiday decor this week. You'll see it again, next season!
  • Store holiday decorations. Take the time to store holiday decor securely and in an organized way. However ready you are to move on, sloppy storage will cause new problems down the line. Be sure to use sturdy, moisture-proof containers and organize stored decorations neatly. Make notes of any items that need to be replaced, and purchase replacements in the after-season clearance.
  • Set up a "holiday box" for stragglers. No matter how you scour the house, a few holiday stragglers will always be left behind. Give them a place to go with a holiday box: a designated container for any last holiday items you find. In a few weeks, take the box to the storage area for next year.

This Week's Christmas Planner Pages to Print:

New Year's ResolutionsNew Year's Resolutions Debriefing WorksheetDebriefing Worksheet