With the end of the year only 8 days away, many are thinking about the New Year’s resolutions made back in January;  whether it be getting organized, weight loss, or staying better connected to friends and loved ones. With more time off work during the end of year, there’s no better time to take advantage of decluttering your home than now. While putting away those holiday decorations, add some extra time to declutter and and get organized!

Here are 10 simple tips to follow:

1. Take it one room at a time. It can be overwhelming and easily frustrating to work on several rooms at one time. Pick one room and declutter in increments. Start up high with shelves and work your way down to bookshelves, cabinets and floors. Remember: your house didn’t become cluttered over night, so take a deep breath and give it some time. 
2. Sort things out. Divide a large area into four sections: to be thrown out, to go to charity, to be sold, and to keep. It’s easy to think you’ll need everything, but stop and think about their usefulness to the room.
3. Set up a “maybes” pile. For those things that are a “maybe” or a “I’ll probably use it soon” item, put them here and move on. Coming back to these things at a later time, after a successful organizing session, can help you make quicker decisions about these items.
4. Toss it out. We all hoard broken items because we’re going to fix them later. Well, it’s later and if you haven’t fixed them by now, it’s just not going to happen.
5. Stay focused on the task at hand. Avoid spending time looking over old photos, diaries or love letters. Pop them in a box for sorting later. 
6. Get your supplies together. Have your trashbags, shredders, file folders and sharpies at the ready before you start sorting through all the paper documents.
7. Organize important pieces into interesting displays. Show your collectibles in a way that they can be seen and appreciated to their best advantage.
8. Find ‘places’ for things. Decide on a place for items like your keys, sunglasses or wallet. If you stick to it and get into a routine, you won’t lose these items.
9. Pass it on. If you have enjoyed an item, but no longer are using it, pass it on to someone else who will enjoy and benefit from it.
10. Set a deadline A goal will keep you motivated to finish the job.