5 tips to free up space

Though I’ve lived in a variety of small apartments in big cities my entire adult life, for the last three years I’ve been living in the same 650-square-foot apartment in New York City. It’s a one-bedroom oasis that I absolutely love. At first, I never thought I’d end up living here this long, but let’s face it: moving is hard and expensive. Plus, I’ve customized my apartment to perfectly fit my needs and reflect my style, so I don’t have to spread my wings and leave my little nest just yet. One of the main reasons I’ve kept this tiny apartment from me is because of my regular monthly tidying sessions.

5 tips to help you organize your home every month

I love organization, and ever since I was a child, I’ve found joy in throwing out what’s unnecessary and keeping only what’s necessary. Don’t get me wrong, I’m by no means a minimalist, but everything in my apartment has a place and a purpose. Although I do have a pile of coffee table books and boxes of decor that I’m saving for a bigger apartment in the future, there’s no “stuff” in my home that I don’t need. This helps me keep my space (and myself) clutter-free.

1. Pick a new area of ​​your home to focus on each month.

The funny thing is, my monthly tidying up isn’t something I schedule on my calendar or write down on my to-do list—rather, it’s a process that I naturally feel like doing every few weeks. But if tidying up doesn’t come easily to you, that’s totally okay.

Each month, decide on an area to focus on specifically — your medicine cabinet, makeup drawer, bar cart, or junk drawer. Take the time to go through the items in that area and decide what you can still use and what you want to keep. Then separate them into one bag with items you can donate or give to a friend, and another bag with items you can throw away or recycle. Focusing on just one drawer or box each month will keep you from feeling overwhelmed or making hasty decisions.

2. Don’t let donations languish

Luckily, my apartment is right near a great thrift store, so I can easily drop off the items I’m ready to let go of after my monthly declutter. You too can get rid of unwanted items efficiently to keep your hallway from cluttering up with reusable bags you were planning on taking to Goodwill.

I love thrifting, so dropping off donations also means the promise of being able to hunt for new items. Sure, this may seem counterintuitive, but I honestly think that after I declutter, I’ll be more selective about what I bring home because I’m still basking in the euphoria of not having a mess.

3. Clean little by little

You don’t have to completely upend your schedule for a monthly declutter. My most productive monthly declutters have come when I had 30 minutes of free time at work and wanted a little distraction from looking at a screen.

Don’t feel like you need to spend more than 30 minutes on an organizing task; building a quick clean-out of your drawers into your daily schedule will boost your productivity. Of course, areas like your closets will require more time, but save that for the weekend.

4. Ask yourself if you want to keep anything when you move.

For a while earlier this year, I’d been fantasizing about moving apartments, so I was especially hard on myself about what was worth keeping as I decluttered. I’d decided to renew my lease for another year, but I’m still seriously considering whether it would be a good idea to lug (or get movers to lug) another box of coffee table books (my biggest vice!) to my future apartment.

You may be thinking this to yourself. Really The next time you clean up after the last cocktail at the bar, make an effort to ask yourself if you really need that extra cookbook, vase, tablecloth, etc., or if it’s something you can just throw in the donation bin. After a while, this will become a habit.

5. Host a mini sale

Earlier this summer, a fellow collector friend teamed up with me to throw a mini yard sale in another friend’s basement, and it was a blast! It might sound corny, but it was so gratifying to see people eagerly picking up books they haven’t picked up in years or raving about accessories they’re itching to display in their new home. Plus, it didn’t hurt that we made a little (actually a lot!) extra money. Make sure you plan your spending instead of going on a post-sale shopping spree.

Final thoughts

Need a little more inspiration? Watching “Sunday Reset” videos from some of my favorite creators on TikTok always inspires me to tidy up. These are pretty big cleaning sessions, but they’re definitely inspiring and you’ll see how quickly you can tackle that messy drawer that’s been plaguing you for months. Highly recommended!

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