Why not organize BEFORE the new year? Don't wait till January. Or if you want to come back and do the challenge, then. Either way, here is a list of what to do on this A to Z list. It's fun and can be done with kids to show them the importance of going through areas, not just accumulating. A to Z Organizing challenge consists of 26 tasks, one for each day. If you start today, you will be finished by Christmas. And wouldn't that be a great Christmas present? Here we go!
26 Days of A to Z Organizing Challenge
Jump to:
- A is for Art Supplies!
- B is Organizing Your Baking Supplies!
- C is for Organizing Your Child's Closet!
- D is for Organizing Your Kitchen and Bathroom Drawers!
- E is for Organizing Your Clothing Embellishments!
- F is for Getting Your Files in Order.
- G is for Organizing Games (Board, computer, and video games, that is)!
- H is for Organizing Your Hats!
- I is for Organizing Your Internet Bookmarks!
- J is for Jewelry Organizing!
- K is for Clearing off Your Kitchen Table!
- L is for Organizing Your (Latex) Paints Supplies!
- M is for Makeup organizing!
- N is for Nursery closet organizing.
- O is for the Outside shed.
- P is for going through picture frames.
- Q is for a quick clean-up system.
- R is for room purposes.
- S is for organizing your shoes.
- T is for Garage tools.
- U is for organizing umbrellas.
- V is for vases.
- W is for wrapping paper.
- X is for X-rays (medical documents).
- Y is for yard organizing.
- Z is for zones (setup zones in a room that has several uses).
- A to Z Organizing Challenge Printable.
A is for Art Supplies!
Set up a sorting carousel for kids and organized the items by medium and rainbow colors.
B is Organizing Your Baking Supplies!
Look through your baking supplies. You can visit our posts that talk about what to have in your baking zone. Click on the image below if you want to see the complete post.
C is for Organizing Your Child's Closet!
The next one in our A to Z Organizing Challenge is to organize the kids' closet. Clear out any clothing that is not worn. Visit our other kids' closet organizing posts for more help.
6 STEPS TO ORGANIZE KIDS CLOSETS
15 UNIQUE THINGS TO TOSS FOR A STRESS FREE KIDS CLOSET
SMALL CLOSET ORGANIZATION TIPS USING LIFEWIT
HOW TO MAKE MASCULINE DAYS OF THE WEEK CLOTHING ORGANIZER
D is for Organizing Your Kitchen and Bathroom Drawers!
Go through all the drawers and remove any items that are not working. Bathroom and Kitchen drawers can be pretty overwhelming.
E is for Organizing Your Clothing Embellishments!
Look through the scarves, pins, etc... and get rid of items you don't use.
F is for Getting Your Files in Order.
Clear out your current most recent files filing cabinet (Affiliate Link) and remove papers that are not of this year.
G is for Organizing Games (Board, computer, and video games, that is)!
Go through and clear out any games you haven't used in the last 3 years. Donate or sell these games. You can sell items on Amazon (Affiliate Link) or eBay.
H is for Organizing Your Hats!
This includes winter hats (Affiliate Link), baseball caps, etc. Get rid of the ones that you don't wear or are shabby-looking.
I is for Organizing Your Internet Bookmarks!
Go through your browser and delete the websites you don't use any longer.
J is for Jewelry Organizing!
Go through your fine and costume jewelry (Affiliate Link) and get rid of stuff that isn't used. Here are places to donate these items.
K is for Clearing off Your Kitchen Table!
Clear paperwork and other mail off the kitchen table.
L is for Organizing Your (Latex) Paints Supplies!
Are there paints that aren't used any longer? Probably. Go through them and put them aside, open them up to dry out. Only throw away the can after the paint is dried. There is a powder to help dry out the paint. You can buy at your local hardware store in the paint section.
M is for Makeup organizing!
Go through your makeup and get rid of old makeup. Click here for expiration date information and free labels to help you.
N is for Nursery closet organizing.
Clear out the baby's clothing that doesn't fit any longer. Click here for baby's room tips.
O is for the Outside shed.
Clear out the shelves (Affiliate Link) and reorganize the supplies. Click here for tips on what to keep in your shed.
P is for going through picture frames.
Do you have picture frames that you don't care for? Gather them up and donate them. Do you have pictures that are out of date? Update them with new ones.
Q is for a quick clean-up system.
Create your own quick clean-up system. Quick clean-up is a series of tasks you do each day to keep the home presentable and functional. I created a tidy-up system to help you determine a quick clean-up system for you.
R is for room purposes.
Determine the purpose of one room in your house. Each room should have a purpose. If it has more than one purpose, you need to know this to determine how to organize it. Some purposes could be:
- an office
- A space to relax with family
- Playing game area
- Place to eat
- A place to get dressed in the morning
- A meditation area
S is for organizing your shoes.
Find a home for all your shoes (Affiliate Link). Here are some ways to organize shoes.
T is for Garage tools.
Gather and group tools (Affiliate Link) and determine how you use them. Do you want to sort tasks by type of item or a combination of them? Here are some tips to help you organize your tools.
U is for organizing umbrellas.
Where are your umbrellas? Are they in the car? Are they in the garage (Affiliate Link)? Determine where they all are and does that place works for you and your family.
V is for vases.
Get rid of extra vases. Do you have vases that are identical, and you only use one? Great rid of the duplicates. You can also upcycle them into something new and make them a feature in your home. Check out my DIY vase project below for ideas.
DIY LIQUOR BOTTLE CRAFT PROJECT
HOW TO MAKE A SPRINGTIME FLOWER VASE
HOW TO MAKE AN EASY FALL FLOWER ARRANGEMENT
W is for wrapping paper.
Go through wrapping paper and bags and organize them by type. Here is a post I wrote about how I organized my wrapping paper.
X is for X-rays (medical documents).
Go through your medical documents and get rid of anything that doesn't apply any longer. Write up your medications on a list and keep it up to date.
Y is for yard organizing.
Gather all the items in your yard and organize them.
Z is for zones (setup zones in a room that has several uses).
Pick a room in your house that has more than one purpose. Create zones in the room by gathering the items and placing them together.
A to Z Organizing Challenge Printable.
Here is a printable challenge. Feel free to print it and share it.
I hope this helps you organize your home before the end of the year. What is your most challenging room in the house? Please leave a comment below.
Check out my other organizing/decluttering challenges!
Please note these are affiliate links through Amazon (Affiliate Link), and at no additional cost to you, I will earn affiliate fees if you decide to make a purchase.
Julie Stobbe says
I love the A to Z challenge it is so simple to follow and complete. Good work on the letters Q- Quick clean system and Z- create Zones.
Julie Bestry says
I love the way you put this together. Somebody could do alphabetically and do their whole home, just pick their letters (I need D for those bathroom drawers and I for all my ancient internet bookmarks), or even pick a letter out of the Scrabble tile bag to surprise themselves with that days task! I don't even have most of those categories (no kids, no house, no outdoor storage/garage), but this still got me psyched. Fun!
Janet Barclay says
This is the perfect solution for someone who thrives on structure while simultaneously resenting said structure. Organizing can be fun!
Seana Turner says
I probably most need to address E and I. Fun approach to getting a little organizing in! It's nice not to have to think about what area to work on next, just go!
Sabrina Quairoli says
I totally agree! Planning and prioritizing can paralyze people from moving forward.
andleeb says
Wow the list is great.
It can help to arrange almost everything throughout the year.
I will take the print and try to hang on my main door and will try to go accordingly.
Thank you.
Rose M Griffith says
What a fun list, Sabrina! I shared it already and know several friends who will enjoy this idea.
Jeri says
Great list to serve as a reminder of things we might not normally think of. I tend to take a room-by-room approach, but mostly I've made such a habit of living lightly I don't have much to organize!
Beth Niebuhr says
Did you sneak into my house and make up the list? What a good idea! My own closet is by far the room most in need of sorting through.
William Rusho says
I like these blogs about organization.
I just wish I had the dedication to do it all the time. It is not the problem putting this away and organizing, it is doing every day. I end up repeating organizing over and over again.
Lenie says
Sabrina I love this. It will have to wait until the New Year but I`ve pinned it so I can go back to it then. I`ll just tackle one letter at a time - no time limit - and see how that works. We are downsizing so with this list I`ll be able to get rid of stuff the right way. Thanks so much.
Ken Dowell says
I think every single one of these 26 steps is something that needs to be done in my house.
Marquita Herald says
What wonderful tips Sabrina! Timing wise, I always look at how busy the season is going to be. If I'm up to my eyeballs in work, family and holiday activities I think it's better not to add to the stress by taking on a major organizing project on top of everything else. But definitely on the task list for after Christmas so this will come in handy! Thanks for the inspiration.
Kathy(A.K.) Andrew says
I loved how you organized this list, but it made me feel overwhelmed I have to say. However, perhaps I can take a letter at a time, or choose a few at a time. I do think it's a good idea though to not nec. Put it all off until the New Year.
Donna Janke says
Cool alphabetic list for 26 days of organizing. Some days would take a lot of my time (internet bookmark organizing). Others would be quick - my wrapping paper (which is rarely used these days) is already organized in a tub.
Sabrina says
Definitely, If you see a day that doesn't fit into your schedule, you can easily change it around. =)
Phoenicia says
Excellent de-cluttering list. A woman after my own heart!
I love, love, love to de-cluttering, especially clothes. It just gives you a great sense of achievement bringing bags to the charity shop or drop off sites.
It is amazing what we can accumulated in a short space of time.
Sabrina says
I totally agree, Phoenicia! Short clutter buster projects are so much more fun to do! Instant gratification! Thanks for commenting! =)