This New Year can be a time to simplify, and if you're looking to clear your head and clear your space, Tabitha Blue of FreshMommyBlog.com says start by gathering and grouping items by category.
For example, pull out all of your dishes to you really see what you have and what you no longer need, she says.
"Pull out all of your dishes at once, from all of the cabinets, or maybe in the other rooms where you may keep them," she said. "Here I would guess most people have an excess, and it just helps to visualize that and then you can get rid of the things you never use and put things back."
If you find papers overwhelming, she suggests checking websites such as bankrate.com to determine just what you need to hold onto and for how long. And Blue said making digital copies of what you need to keep will also help to clear out that paper. For other items, such as clothes, set up boxes labeled "give, keep, toss" and then clear them out, too.
Blue also has some ideas about how to create a morning routine that makes your day flow better in 2017.
With four young children at home, Blue said she has to have a system to make her mornings work. Setting out clothes, packing next-day lunches the night before and getting to bed just a little earlier helps to ease into the morning routine, she said. She also starts her day with a tall drink of water to wake up and puts off looking at emails, and Facebook on her phone.
"Then I'm able to tackle the day more productively, then I can have my cup of coffee, I can check social media, all that. But getting up, drinking some water, making the bed, starting my routine before scrolling through social media is a huge help," Blue said.
Blue created a detailed morning routine for FreshMommyBlog.com.
