Throwing my Amazon return in the basket, I hopped on my bike and rode to the UPS store. While cruising home, I hit a little bump. Suddenly there was a terrible noise. My bike went crazy and came to an abrupt stop. My first thought was—thank you God that I didn’t fall!

My second thought—what just happened? I discovered my bike basket was now attached to my front wheel. The wheel frame was bent out of whack, and the fenders had closed onto my tire causing the standstill.

People walked, rode, and skated by as I waited for my husband to rescue me. A couple asked if I needed help, but no one asked why there was a bike basket attached to the side of my wheel. A strange sight indeed.

Sometimes things get out of whack in our homes quickly—busy holidays, a new baby arrives, a sudden surgery, etc. Other times it’s a slow process of “I’ll just put this here for now.”

Enough stuff in the wrong places creates a standstill. You can’t walk into your walk-in closet. You can’t find the items you need. You can’t put away the groceries because there’s no room.

My experience reminded me that when things get out of whack, it’s important to get them back where they belong to move forward.

January is a great month to start fresh with putting and keeping things in their place. Here are five Timely Tips to help make that happen.

Timely Tips to break the standstill

Narrow your focus

Choose a day, time, and small area to begin.
Look for a place that’s out of whack. Maybe it’s a drawer, your car trunk, or the coat closet.
Save the garage and other large projects for after you’ve conquered your smaller ventures.

Set the stage

Some people need music playing, a cup of coffee in hand, or a partner to anchor them to the task.
Set a timer for breaks.
Label bags or boxes—trash, recycle, donate, and relocate.

Sort the stuff

Pick up each item and place it in the appropriate bag/box, or let it stay if it belongs.
For a “Keep or Toss” list click here.

Finish the job

Toss the trash.
Relocate items that don’t belong.
Place the donations in your car for drop-off.
Set in place and containerize items that belong in that area.

Reset regularly

Life is messy. You’ll have bumps in the road that knock things out of whack.
Commit to a regular time to set things back in place.
A daily ten-minute tidy, means less to reset.