Author: Jordank

Editorial Coordinator

Make Your Home Into a Hygge Haven

Posted on by Jordank

As readers may recall from previous wintertime posts, hygge (pronounced “HOO-guh”) is the Scandinavian concept of creating warmth, comfort and conviviality in spite of the frigid outdoor temperatures. With temperatures dropping into the single digits, we at The Organizing Blog thought it was time to offer a hygge update.

With the pandemic entering its third year, it’s worth noting that hygge jibes well with the stay-at-home ethic. It doesn’t require dressing up — just the opposite, in fact. Your most comfortable loungewear, flannels and woolen socks will be the height of hygge style.

A hygge home always includes flickering lights, according to Self magazine. Whether it’s a crackling fire in the fireplace, an arrangement of candles or holiday string lights, lighting should be muted, soothing and romantic.

You’ll also need a warm blanket to hygge-fy your home. Quiet pursuits such as a good book or jigsaw puzzle are extremely hygge, but practitioners are also welcome to binge-watch their favorite television programs. Calm relaxation is the key.

Eating in a hygge household should also be geared toward warmth: Coffee, tea and hot chocolate; hearty roasts and stews; and home-baked breads, pastries and cakes are definitely on the menu. Indulgent but fortifying, hygge foods might be called hearth-healthy.

Practiced most assiduously in the world’s happiest country, Denmark, hygge espouses #simplicity over #clutter. Too much #stuff, and hygge becomes difficult to achieve. After all, a #cluttered atmosphere is a hectic and stressful atmosphere.

“Hygge and #decluttering are a match made in heaven,” says Do You. “While hygge by itself offers moments of comfort, you might be distracted or stressed by feeling that you are in an environment that is #untidy, cluttered or reminds you of things pending.”

If you’re stuck in a cluttered home, start by setting aside a small hygge haven; a single room can be your #sanctuary. Remove anything that doesn’t contribute to calm and cozy feelings, and #donate the things you won’t need again to  ClothingDonations.org.

Then, curl up with a good book, a cup of hot chocolate or whatever best warms your bones against the winter chill. You may just find that hygge is the #simplified lifestyle you’ve been missing!

Put Decluttering on Your 2022 Plan

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As you embark on a personal #decluttering initiative in the new year, be careful not to get so overwhelmed that you abandon hope. Instead, make a plan, Real Simple says. List the specific spaces in which you want to get more #organized, whether it’s a kitchen drawer, your computer desktop or the whole house. Then, break each area into actionable steps and grind away at them a little bit on a set schedule every week. “Think of it in a similar way you think of fitness routines and diets,” the site says. “These things are most successful when they are approached in a way that can be maintainable with your lifestyle.”

Organizing the Easy Way

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There’s an EASY way to get #organized in the new year, says ClutterKeeper.com. First, Empty “everything out of the space you want to organize and wipe down the surfaces to remove dirt and debris.” Then, Assess everything by sorting your #stuff into #keep, #donate and #trash piles. Store anything you want to keep into labeled storage containers or the areas in which the thing will be used. And finally, Yearn to maintain the system long-term by putting the things you keep back in their proper places after use. “The key to staying organized is to actively yearn and desire for it to stay that way.”

Resolve to Cut the Clutter Consistently

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As the new year begins, many among us will take a hard look at our lives and lifestyles, making resolutions to lose weight, cut the #clutter and so on. The trouble is that sudden, sweeping moves don’t pay off as often as gradual and consistent efforts. To ensure your #decluttering effort succeeds, set more reasonable goals, says the Economic Times. If you can’t clean a whole closet at once, start with a single shelf. Or take 10 minutes each day to sort through a box or drawer, keeping a bin handy for those things you no longer want but can #donate to ClothingDonations.org.

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Say Goodbye to the Holidays, Hello to 2022

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The first thing to do as you attempt to get #organized in the new year is to get the #holidays out of sight as quickly and as neatly as possible, says A Clear Path. If you have gifts that you won’t use or didn’t give, return or #donate them immediately. Take down any holiday decorations and store them in labeled bins and boxes. Resist the urge to peruse the post-holiday clearance sales unless there is something you truly need. And finally, enter #decluttering deadlines such as an upcoming ClothingDonations.org #donation #pickup on your 2022 calendar.