I have two big organizing projects that I want to tackle in 2019 (and several smaller ones too)! Come see my plans and the scary “before” photos!
I’ve found that I’m a lot more likely to follow through on my goals if I share them with other people. Simply telling others my plans makes me feel more accountable to them, and as a typical type-A first born, I hate to not follow through on what I say I’m going to do!
At the beginning of 2018, I shared 4 big organizing projects that I wanted to complete during the year. And while we only knocked out three of the four– my office, the mudroom, and the garage— I was (and still am!) thrilled with how they turned out. (More on the unfinished 4th project in a second… be sure to read to the end of the post for a fun announcement! 😉 )
As we’re approaching the 2.5 year mark of living in our house, we don’t have as many huge projects anymore because we’ve tackled many of them already (yay!), but I do have several small organizing projects on my list like…
- adding a display shelf in the boys’ room to help set some boundaries and curb clutter
- sprucing up our guest room to make the most of the closet space and making it more conducive to welcoming guests
- finding the perfect nightstands for our bedroom to provide a little bit of extra storage
The 2 Big Organizing Projects I Want to Tackle in 2019
These smaller items should be easy to tackle in a weekend or less, but as far as “BIG” projects go, there are two major areas I want to tackle in 2019.
1. The Laundry Room
Our laundry room isn’t terribly unorganized. We’ve tried to do the best with what we have… which is basically a single wire shelf.
I’ve added clear bins so we can easily see what we have in this space, but this year I would love to replace the wire shelf with a nice roomy cabinet + bar for hanging clothes. (I hang Connor’s hockey gear to dry at least weekly, so that bar is important!) I’d also like to paint and add some backsplash tile to this space to make it a little prettier.
Our laundry room also boasts the world’s smallest linen closet (ha!), so I want to see what I can do to maximize the space in there as much as possible. (It’s really only half the depth of a normal closet, and there isn’t any other designated linen closet in the house, so we really need to do our best with what we have here– eek!)
(I am already anticipating getting the question, “Where are all of your sheets?!” Since the linen closet is so small, I keep one spare set of sheets in a basket in each of the bedroom closets. They’re close by when it’s time to change the sheets, and it saves me from trying to stuff them all in this minuscule space!)
2. The Basement
Oh, the basement. This was the space that we didn’t get to in 2018, so I am determined to knock it out first thing in 2019!
This space has been a struggle because it is unfinished and we’re not down here all that much, but it serves several purposes. The majority of the space is used for storage. All of our bins of Christmas decor are stored in the basement, along with a few bins of mementos.
Believe it or not, I actually have a few bins of BINS– containers that I used to use, but are not currently holding anything in our house. I’ve hung onto them thinking that I might have a use for them at some point, but I really need to go through and throw away/give away/donate a whole bunch of them!
We also have a bunch of random furniture stored in the basement. Some of it is pieces that we used in our last house but haven’t found a home here. We’re holding onto some of the pieces for family that is moving in the not-too-distant future and may need them in their new home. And some of it is just stuff that we need to get rid of and haven’t yet.
Connor has taken over one end of the basement for hockey practice, which we’re fine with at this point since completely finishing the basement isn’t on our to-do list anytime soon. As you can see, he’s kind of rough on this area, so we need to address the sagging insulation and also reseal the floor.
The final part of the basement is Donnie’s workshop. We have an area where we’re storing trim pieces for framing in windows and doorways and replacing the baseboards in the house. This is a project that Donnie is plugging away at little by little, so we’ll likely have these pieces here for a little while yet. We need to do a better job of organizing them, though, so we can get around more easily in this space.
The other side of Donnie’s workshop holds his tools and woodworking supplies. We actually have a lot of organizing pieces for this space, but we just haven’t taken the time to get everything in order yet.
UPDATE: Follow along with our basement progress in these posts…
The KonMari Method: Organizing Sentimental Items
Top 10 Best Tool Storage Systems for Organizing Your Workshop
Do you have any organizing goals for 2019? I’d love to hear about them in the comments below!
Have a wonderful day!
Ellen | Ask Away Blog says
December 27, 2018 at 10:53 amOMG you’re like my soul sister. We have that exact same size linen closet lol! I’m so glad I’m not alone.
Also, in our basement I have bins of bins too ! Also, glad i’m not alone on that!
justagirlabby says
January 1, 2019 at 1:10 pmTWINS! haha The linen closet can kinda be a struggle though, right? 🙂
~Abby =)
Lori Black says
December 27, 2018 at 1:42 pmI have just loved reading your blog the last few weeks. I am interested in starting my own and oh what I have learned from your knowledge. Thanks and keep posting such great ideas and helpful hints!!
justagirlabby says
January 1, 2019 at 1:10 pmAw, thanks so much, Lori! I’m so glad it has been helpful for you. Love to hear that. Wishing you all the best on your blogging journey and a fabulous 2019! <3
~Abby =)
Diane says
December 28, 2018 at 5:24 amYes, I have a ton of organizing projects around and inside my house. We are a blended family. My daughter and her family moved in with me and my husband 3 years ago. My house has been a mush mash conglomeration of ?….. I really don’t know how to describe. 2 years ago, I had major back surgery. A year ago, I developed pernicious anemia . I only share these issues to tell you what I’m up against in getting my house back in order. I also have 3 grandchildren under the age of 7. The 2 girls have taken over the living room as their bedroom. It’s the 1 st room you see when the front door is opened. We are making the best of the living arrangements.
But I’m so tired of living in a mish mash of seemingly uncontrollable clutter. And disarray. I’m done with it. I’m joining the challenge to motivate myself. I’m taking on the girls/kids rooms first. I’ve already ordered and received quilts I love. I’m using the quilts as the inspo pieces for color, design and decor. I need the kids rooms to be gender neutral design as my daughter may swap up the kids living arrangements. Giving the oldest girl a room of her own. I feel like I’m looking up at a design and declutter Mt Everest! I’m also attempting to build a blog to motivate myself and my family as photos will start appearing soon on the blog.
justagirlabby says
January 10, 2019 at 2:23 pmHi, Diane! It can definitely feel overwhelming at times! When we first moved into our house our project list was SO long I thought we would never even come close to getting it done! We still have a ways to go, but we’ve been chipping away at it over the past two years, and major progress has definitely been made. I know if you can take it one step at a time, you will be able to get the results you’re looking for too! And congrats on your blog– that is so exciting!
~Abby =)
Jenni says
December 28, 2018 at 12:10 pmI have several organizing goals, but we are on a very limited budget because we are still paying off law school loans (hopefully will be close to done with that by the end of 2019!) One of the main spaces I need to work on is my boys’ room. Their room seriously looks like a drug house right now, and I’d like to both fix it up and organize it a bit with some money I made from selling some of their toys that they no longer used. I joined the group and think it will be fun to have other people’s input! One of the biggest needs they have is storage – they are into Legos and building robots, but every item that they build then needs a home. I am thinking of a shelf that goes all the way around the room closer to the ceiling, but I don’t know yet if that’s what I will do.
justagirlabby says
January 10, 2019 at 2:20 pmOh I hear you– kids’ stuff can be so tough! I love the idea of doing a shelf that goes all the way around up high. I know my boys would LOVE that! Hope you’re having a great week!
~Abby =)
Deanna says
December 28, 2018 at 1:11 pmI need to tackle my living room and the kids’ room. BTW your basement is huge and looks like you can do so much with it!
justagirlabby says
January 1, 2019 at 1:09 pmIt is definitely a good size. We may finish it eventually but right now it’s a great place for Donnie to do projects and my boys to play hockey! 🙂 Let me know how organizing your living room and kids’ room goes! You can do it! 🙂
~Abby =)
Joan Senio says
December 29, 2018 at 6:33 pmHey Abby, Like you, my workshop/basement area continues to slip off our to-do list. I’m now determined to make it happen in January. Thank you so much for the inspiration!
Joan
My Best Friend Adeline
https://kindness-compassion-and-coaching.com
justagirlabby says
January 1, 2019 at 1:06 pmYay! You’ve got this, Joan! Let me know how it goes! 🙂
~Abby =)
Rosina says
January 1, 2019 at 11:04 pmI totally understand the need for more space and being super organized. We currently live in our motorhome full time, so space is a premium. My linen cupboard is the size of your top shelf :0). But I love to organise, so I’m always looking for better ways to optimisé our spaces. Having a 2019 plan of attack is awesome.
justagirlabby says
January 3, 2019 at 8:19 pmOh, wow! I’m sure that requires some very creative organization! Very impressed! 🙂 Hope you’re having a great week, Rosina!
~Abby =)
Jen @ This Time of Mine says
May 1, 2019 at 3:35 pmOh I’m totally doing my laundry room this year too! I can’t wait to see what you come up with! I love reading your blog. Thanks for all of your tips and inspiration!
Abby Lawson says
May 2, 2019 at 7:37 pmThanks so much, Jen! Looking forward to finally tackling it! 🙂 Hope you’re having a great week!
~Abby =)