34 Resolutions For an Organized New Year

By Vivian Nunez
Stocksnap /
Stocksnap /

The key to a more organized year is to understand that there are many different areas of your life that you have control over and that you can organize. While frustrations may run high when it comes to your significant other leaving socks all over the floor, you can relieve (some of) that stress by cleaning up your desktop. A "Friday Email" folder may be the trick to a semimanaged inbox, and an extra pair of headphones in all the important places could mean never having to work to the sound of other people's meetings again. Here's a full list of 34 ways you can get organized in 2017.

01
Buy a planner.
StockSnap | Ian Schneider

Buy a planner.

02
Sync your email calendar to your phone’s calendar, so you never miss a call or meeting.
StockSnap | Marc Chouinard

Sync your email calendar to your phone’s calendar, so you never miss a call or meeting.

03
Create a “Friday Email” folder in your inbox to separate the important from things that can be answered at a later time.
StockSnap | Tim Gouw

Create a “Friday Email” folder in your inbox to separate the important from things that can be answered at a later time.

04
Deep-clean your desk drawers and start fresh.
StockSnap | ALBERT CHERNOGOROV

Deep-clean your desk drawers and start fresh.

05
Clean out your computer desktop every Friday.
StockSnap | Tran Mau Tri Tam

Clean out your computer desktop every Friday.

06
Delete any unnecessary apps.
StockSnap | Wilfred Iven

Delete any unnecessary apps.

07
Put your go-to albums into playlists.
StockSnap | Jan Vasek

Put your go-to albums into playlists.

08
Donate any clothes that you haven’t worn in the last year.
StockSnap | Will Milne

Donate any clothes that you haven’t worn in the last year.

09
Unsubscribe from unwanted emails that clutter your inbox.
StockSnap | Oluwaseun Duncan

Unsubscribe from unwanted emails that clutter your inbox.

10
Take inventory of what you already have in your closet — even the stuff buried in the back!
StockSnap | Milada Vigerova

Take inventory of what you already have in your closet — even the stuff buried in the back!

11
Get creative with any extra books you have around — either DIY project or donate.
StockSnap | Syd Wachs

Get creative with any extra books you have around — either DIY project or donate.

12
Turn old wine bottles into vases.
StockSnap | Worthy Of Elegance

Turn old wine bottles into vases.

13
Give yourself a deadline to read magazines.
StockSnap | George Yanakiev

Give yourself a deadline to read magazines.

14
Turn seeing your friends into a habit — every third Thursday or second Sunday is friend day.
StockSnap | Ben Duchac

Turn seeing your friends into a habit — every third Thursday or second Sunday is friend day.

15
Put any coffee dates, as informal as they may seem, into your calendar — it’ll help you commit.
StockSnap | Alisa Anton

Put any coffee dates, as informal as they may seem, into your calendar — it’ll help you commit.

16
Skip Target’s dollar section (only if you tend to buy little trinkets that collect dust).
StockSnap | Thomas Breher

Skip Target’s dollar section (only if you tend to buy little trinkets that collect dust).

17
Embrace Target’s dollar section (for the organizers and little trinkets that are conducive to organizing).
StockSnap | Michal Kulesza

Embrace Target’s dollar section (for the organizers and little trinkets that are conducive to organizing).

18
Keep all of your loose change in a single place; you’ll be more likely to use it this way.
StockSnap | Luis Llerena

Keep all of your loose change in a single place; you’ll be more likely to use it this way.

19
Turn long necklaces into ring holders.
StockSnap | Daryn Bartlett

Turn long necklaces into ring holders.

20
Wake up early enough every morning to give yourself time to write out a daily to-do list.
StockSnap | Jørgen Håland

Wake up early enough every morning to give yourself time to write out a daily to-do list.

21
Work on small tasks as you think of them, as opposed to putting them off for a later date.
StockSnap | Freestocks.org

Work on small tasks as you think of them, as opposed to putting them off for a later date.

22
Buy small wastebaskets for every room so that small scraps or pieces of garbage don’t collect at the top of your desk.
StockSnap | Lisa Davies

Buy small wastebaskets for every room so that small scraps or pieces of garbage don’t collect at the top of your desk.

23
Put all remote controls into a single basket.
StockSnap | Håkon Sataøen

Put all remote controls into a single basket.

24
Meal-prep, either by cooking for the week on Sundays or jotting down the meals you’ll be having during the week.
StockSnap | Brooke Lark

Meal-prep, either by cooking for the week on Sundays or jotting down the meals you’ll be having during the week.

25
Schedule reminders for important events, like birthdays, on your calendar.
StockSnap | Wilfred Iven

Schedule reminders for important events, like birthdays, on your calendar.

26
Avoid the morning scramble by laying out your clothes the night before.
StockSnap | Jay Mantri

Avoid the morning scramble by laying out your clothes the night before.

27
Get rid of any makeup products that you haven’t used in months.
StockSnap | Alexandre Vanier

Get rid of any makeup products that you haven’t used in months.

28
Keep extra headphones in the places you spend the most time so you’ll always have a pair.
StockSnap | Aleksandar Spasojevic

Keep extra headphones in the places you spend the most time so you’ll always have a pair.

29
Use the same credit card for all work-related purchases.
StockSnap | Negative Space

Use the same credit card for all work-related purchases.

30
File receipts, or keep an Excel sheet up to date with all expenses.
StockSnap | Carli Jean

File receipts, or keep an Excel sheet up to date with all expenses.

31
Put pictures into frames instead of stashing them in drawers.
StockSnap | Jessica Ruscello

Put pictures into frames instead of stashing them in drawers.

32
Keep a list of your monthly essentials and check off once you’re out so you know exactly what you need to buy and when.
StockSnap | Luis Llerena

Keep a list of your monthly essentials and check off once you’re out so you know exactly what you need to buy and when.

33
Stay on top of prescription dates so you know when to pick them up.
StockSnap | Michal Jarmoluk

Stay on top of prescription dates so you know when to pick them up.

34
Download an extension, like OneTab, to condense all the tabs on your browser.
StockSnap | Mary Whitney

Download an extension, like OneTab, to condense all the tabs on your browser.