With Christmas over, we're in that reflective in between—unwinding from the merry festivities and preparing for the new year. I'm eager to clear some physical clutter and make space for a fresh start, but the past three hundred and sixty two are weighing on my mind.

Writing thoughts down has become an invaluable processing tool for me, so I thought they may also be of value to you or inspire you to write out your own. Here are 25 lessons I've learned from my home and life in 2025 that are worth remembering and practicing in 2026:

1. Feeling off? Step outside. I started 2025 as a happy homebody, relishing in the warmth and safety of being inside. Getting outdoors, however, gave me a greater sense of balance. Even if just to breathe in fresh air for a chilly minute, it's revitalizing and mood boosting and absolutely necessary every day!

2. Behind every mess is a story. Something beyond the physical disarray is causing your nervous system to react and take it out on the mess. Once you realize and become more aware of this connection, you start to see messes as merely a prompt to ask yourself, “What else is going on for me right now?”

3. Share ideas out loud. Writing them down helps you remember, but vocalizing them boosts creativity, memory, confidence, and motivation to act on your idea.

4. Make time for reading. And space for books!

5. Do what you loved as a kid. Organizing spaces and returning to dance bring me the same joy now and fill my cup for days!

6. What’s fun for others does not have to be fun for me. Like deep cleaning and traveling. To each their own!

7. Plan B can be Better. When Plan A fails and time is running out, creativity can be on your side to see the task through (perhaps this is where finishers thrive).

8. Family mealtime matters. Although dinner can't happen at the same time every day, we flex it around the day's events and eat whenever we can all gather together. It's our one chance a day to sit, pause, and connect with each other.

9. Start with WHY. When you need to make a change in your space or life, but don’t know where or how to begin.

10. When one space improves, it positively shifts the household dynamic. Less confusion and arguments about what's where. More enjoyment with what you have and who you live with. 

11. Have 5 minutes? Do a device declutter. It removes a bit of the invisible load we carry, leaving you feeling lighter, lifted, and in control.

12. Asking for help is a superpower. It feels vulnerable, hard, and anxiety-inducing, but not asking feels and ends up worse.

13. Too many choices can give you variety anxiety. Often times, the overwhelm doesn’t come from not having enough or the “right” thing, it comes from not being able to see what we have or not having enough time to be creative.

14. Good habits help systems stick. If every organizing system you've tried isn't working, it's likely the habits associated with the system that may need a refresh.

15. Organizing is a learnable skill—at any age or stage of life.

16. Your wardrobe is the most personal space in your home. If you want your home to have more personality, take a closer look at your clothing and what elements (colors, textures, patterns, silhouettes) speak to you.

17. What worked yesterday may not work in a couple of months. And that’s okay! It doesn’t mean you got it wrong before. It means everyone’s growing and ready to adjust to a better way forward. 

18. Have a drawer you organize over and over. It’s satisfying, good problem solving practice, and the outcome will be better each time.

19. #creativityoverconsumption. Before buying a "solution", explore and experiment with what you have at home. Boxes and jars are so multi-purposeful!

20. That ↑ said, life’s too short to use daily things you don’t like. If it’s meant to serve you, and it doesn’t (and it’s affordable), replace it with one you do like. You’ll get better value and enjoyment from it even it’s for a task you don’t love.

21. When we focus solely on end goals, we miss out on the best part—the process. The journey holds all the stories and unique moments we want to share and remember.

22. Choose function over fancy. Looking good will come once we feel good in our space first.

23. Don't let past relationships hinder new ones. This was a big struggle for me, one that I'm making my priority for 2026 and beyond.

24. Every DIY project involves 3 trips to Home Depot...minimum!

25. The most important thing to schedule is time for yourself.

what valuable lesson(s) did 2025 teach you?

The more wisdom we can reap, the better, so please share in the Comments! I hope the rest of your year is restful and rejuvenating, filling you with hope and excitement for the new year ahead.

Always,