It's the new year! Let's kick off the year by creating new habits that will help us be more organized throughout the year. These 5 things take 5 minutes or less to do, but the impact they will have on your home will be immense. You will feel more organized and your home will look cleaner with very little effort. Who wouldn't love that?

1. Go through mail immediately.

Do you have a mail pile in your house? A lot of us do. We bring the mail in and put it down to go through later. It ends up just sitting there, for days. New mail comes in and it just adds to the pile. Soon it becomes overwhelming. What once would have been a quick task becomes daunting as the pile gets bigger and bigger.

Starting in 2017, let's vow to go through the mail immediately upon entering the house. Or at the very least right after dinner. These days much of the mail is junk anyway. Just toss it if it needs to be tossed or file it. It takes 2 minutes but will do so much for your peace of mind.

2. Make your bed.

I'll be honest, this one doesn't really apply to me since I am not actually the last one out of bed. My husband generally wakes up right before I have to leave for work. He tries to get as much sleep as he can before a full day of watching the kids while I'm at work. So that job is left to him. But let me tell you, a made bed makes a huge huge difference in the feeling you get when entering the bedroom. It doesn't matter if the rest of the room is a mess, a made bed will make the room feel a hundred times better. Try it, you'll like it!

3. Never leave a room empty handed.

This was actually a habit I picked up as a cheerleader during boot camp. It was part of a whole lifestyle revamp that was part of training. There is always something that is out of place at home, whether it's the shopping you just brought in, the toys that made their way into the living room, or the dishes in the dining room.

Instead of having messes accumulate, clean up as you go along. If you are going upstairs to get something bring something else that belongs upstairs. If you are going to the bathroom bring the clean towels or the new shampoo. Never leaving a room empty handed means you won't have to make so many trips solely for cleaning up because you will have been doing it little by little all along.

4. Keep the dining room table clean.

The the table is the center of the dining room. Much like the bed, when this area is clear, the whole room feels better. The goal is to prevent this area from becoming a dumping ground. If this is the Homework space, it should be cleared before dinner time. Clear dishes immediately following the meal. Put away groceries, even the non refrigerated ones, as soon as you get in. Not only does this provide a clear space and clear mind, it also promotes family meals at the dinner table. Win-win!

5. Put your clothes away.

Whether you are changing out of your work clothes or just finished folding laundry, we all have a tendency to leave clothes lying around. After work we are in a rush to get dinner on the table so we change quickly and move on. Or after we fold laundry we leave it in the basket and just pick through it when we need a pair of socks. These habits cause our rooms to feel claustrophobic and messy. That one work outfit becomes five and then we have to devote time to putting away a whole pile of clothes. Putting away our clothes immediately saves time and aggravation later. It also makes our space cleaner and more organized.

The best thing about these 5 behaviors is that They can easily become habits. Start doing them for a few weeks and really soak in how much better it makes your home feels. Create cues in your mind like if I am taking off clothes I should put them away. Or if I am leaving the room I should take something with me. Once they become habit your home will feel so much better without you even having to think about it. How awesome is that!

Try out these tricks and let me know if it makes your space feel better. Do you have any quick habits that can make a big difference in your home? Share them in the comments.

Cheers,

Emily