Start the New Year Right With These Health and Organization DIYs

The new year is a time when we reflect on our past days while eagerly looking toward the new ones to come. Throughout our celebrations there are tears, kisses, and maybe even champagne. Yet during this time of joy, one hardly remembers the things not accomplished—like uncluttering the house, getting fit, or finally fixing that broken stair you jump over every morning. This article will offer a series of things you can accomplish around the home that will close out old year well and begin new year on the right foot.

For the House

Hanging Storage

If your garage is anything like mine, it's filled with things that simply don’t have a place. A garage is a great place to fit holiday decorations, obscure tools, and products purchased from late night TV commercials. The problem is that physical space fills up fast, and soon you may find yourself stacking boxes on top of each other. If this describes your garage, here's an idea: hang storage from the ceiling.

Using wood, build a series of flanges (two lipped pieces of wood that form a frame) to hold plastic storage bins in the air. Once made, identify studs on the ceiling of your garage after ensuring that all light and other electronic fixtures are at least two feet away from the storage area, and adhere your structure using screws. After installing stops (a simple piece of plywood at the end of your ceiling carriage to hold bins in place), fill your bins and slide then into place high above your floor below.

Desk Drawer Organizer

Does your desk drawer look messy and overstuffed? Do you have pens, staplers, and other miscellaneous items rolling freely when the drawer is opened or closed too quickly? This DIY will offer a simple solution to declutter your desk and organize your office supplies, eliminating an everyday minute annoyance.

The key to organizing a messy desk drawer is to follow the old saying “a place for everything and everything in its place.” Begin this DIY by completely emptying the drawer in question and assessing what you have. Attain five or six cereal boxes (yes, cardboard cereal boxes) and arrange them standing in a manner where the things just emptied can be held. Then, use a razor to cut them down to a height of no more than two inches so the drawer can close with the shallow boxes inside.

This makes a lovely DIY desk drawer organizer. Some take this craft a step further by wrapping the cardboard in decorative paper. Get creative and get organized!

Get Fit

Water Ball

In a DIY home gym, there often isn’t a lot of room. This idea covers both cardio and heavy lifting in one cool project. First, purchase a yoga ball, which is a simple plastic or rubber ball used to stretch. The ball should come with a hand pump to fill it with air, but fill it with water instead. This makes the ball move and shift weight as you do, adding resistance to your routine.

Battle Ropes

I used to go to a gym where people moved heavy ropes in the name of exercising. Apparently, the movement of these ropes works the back, arms, and core all at once. This is how to make them at home.

Get two garden hoses and fill them with sand. During the warm months, this sand can be purchased inexpensively at home stores. After filling the hoses with a funnel, remember to cork both ends as the fast movement of the hoses can easily cause a rupture and a very sandy mess. The ropes will be heavy enough to throw around and earn a sweat.

DIY Yoga Blocks

I am not a yogi, but I do know yoga supplies and accessories are expensive. Yoga blocks are used to elongate stretches or make more advanced moves easier for new participants, but they can run around $30 per block in stores. You can make them on your own for much cheaper.

Saw a piece of wood to the dimensions of 9 by 5 by 3 inches. Sand it down until smooth and paint or stain them. Allow to dry. If you can slide your hand against the grain without getting splinters, your brand new block is ready for use.

Tie Loose Ends

Finally, if you’re looking to DIY your way to a better year, the best way to begin again on the right foot is to ensure those little jobs you've been putting off finally get completed. This year’s last-minute project in my house is to touch up the paint on the ceiling of my bedroom, which is something I didn’t do when I recently repainted my walls. Though tasks like this are small, there is no better feeling than finally accomplishing what has been put on the back burner. It's most definitely a great way to refresh for the new year.