Easy Home Upgrades to Start the New Year Feeling Organized and Refreshed
Accomplishing easy wins early in the year can set you up for success during the rest of the year. Crossing these items off your list in the new year can bring an overall sense of accomplishment to your home. Read on for easy home upgrades to kick off the new year.
Declutter the whole home
Removing the items you no longer need will set the foundation for a clean, clear new year. Once you remove these items from your home, you will better understand the projects you need to accomplish, where items are, and what you need to add. A methodical approach, going floor-by-floor, room-by-room, and drawer-by-drawer, will help a daunting project feel more manageable.
Create a cleaning and maintenance schedule
A household cleaning and maintenance schedule can keep you accountable for the tasks you need to accomplish. Making time and space for cleaning can be difficult with the daily pressures of work, activities, and busy schedules. Creating a schedule that works for you will make these tasks more attainable. Whether it’s a few tasks each day or resetting the house once a week, the most important thing is setting the schedule to make your lifestyle easier.
Creating a home maintenance schedule by season is another way to stay on top of household tasks, such as seasonal lawn care, window washing, gutter cleaning, and more. Even if you outsource these tasks, having a straightforward guide on when to outsource the work can keep your maintenance work on track.
Create a landing space
Whether you have a mudroom, enter through the front door, or walk directly into your family room, carving out a landing space when everyone arrives home can help lessen the mess and create a system. Assigning a space for shoes, coats, bags, and accessories can help your home feel more orderly and make it easier for everyone to get out of the door in the morning.
Prioritize sleep
Quality sleep is thought to be the foundation of productivity, health, happiness, and success. Investing in your sleep space can help facilitate a good night’s sleep. A mattress that meets your body’s needs, natural fiber bedding, a sound machine, a humidifier, and soft lighting can help you rest and recharge overnight.
Elevate your wellness space
Whether you already have a home gym or this space is on your 2026 home to-do list, elevating this area to become a true wellness space can help you in multiple areas of your life. In addition to cardio and weights, incorporating a place to meditate, work on mobility, display plants for air quality, an infrared sauna or red light space, a cold plunge pool, and maximizing the natural light are all ways to amplify this area.
Update the lighting
Updating the lighting throughout your home can have an instant and significant impact. Updating existing fixtures, such as flush mounts, kitchen island pendants, and chandeliers, as well as adding additional lighting layers like sconces and art lamps, can make a significant visual impact and create a cozy, relaxing atmosphere.
Create your own customized lighting audit and plan in The Foundations of a Forever Home Playbook.
Create a landscaping plan to implement in early spring
Designing a landscaping plan you can implement when the weather warms up will give you a clear path to upgrading your home’s exterior. Whether you want to improve your home’s curb appeal to sell or refresh the landscaping to make your exterior feel more livable, having a plan in place is the first step to making this happen.
Creating a plan for your home and making a few attainable updates can help you have a new appreciation for your space and create a more simplified, organized, and updated interior and exterior.
Are you ready to make your home feel complete this winter? Download The Foundations of a Forever Home Playbook, a guide to help you slowly and intentionally design your home to reflect the season of life you’re in, and meet you where you want to be.