ORGANIZE YOUR WAY OUT OF THE WINTER BLAHS

With winter comes the promise of more time spent indoors, and that means more time to notice all of the little (and not so little!) flaws in our homes that are so much easier to overlook from the garden on a warm spring day. These sore-spots are the things that by winter's end will be driving us crazy and leading to a vigorous 'spring clean up.' From piles of clutter that seem to materialize out of thin air to poorly organized and overstuffed closets, from a leaky roof to an uneven walkway that's impossible to shovel, it all comes into sharper focus at this time of year.

Instead of letting the problem zones of your home bother you, or ignoring them altogether, now is the perfect time to take action and eradicate everything about your home that's contributing to the winter blahs. Since you're destined to be indoors, why not make the most of your time?

Prime clutter havens are entrance areas, such as front halls and mudrooms. They show the signs of a family's comings and goings and gather everything from articles of clothing, dry cleaning and library books, to last week's mail (and piles of junk on top). Figure out what things really need to be in each area of your home, and implement a system that keeps everything in its place. It may be boxes with lids, a piece of furniture that will accommodate all of the bits and pieces, or just a series of baskets on a table.

Whatever works for you, once your system is in place, make a commitment to stick to it. Take items that don't belong immediately to another area of your home (hopefully one with its own system!) or deal with them right away rather than putting them into a pile to be sorted later. (We all have one of those piles, let's be honest – but if it has to exist, give it a home and stick to a schedule of sorting though it).  This process can be applied to all areas – from kitchen work areas to kids' rooms. Tackle one room at a time so that task isn't completely overwhelming.

Once you've cleared the clutter, use all of your new-found space for real winter pick-me-ups, like a vase perpetually filled with fresh flowers, or family photos of a trip to the beach. You'll be amazed at how these little touches can brighten any dreary winter day.

Now that everything is in its place, keep your momentum by starting to plan warm-weather projects - both those you'll take on yourself and those you'll hire out. You may be considering a renovation project, or something as simple as adding closet organizers; whatever the project, the more planning that goes into it, the fewer problems you'll have when it comes time to execute, so get started. Start with sketches, cutting out pictures, whatever inspires you and gets you thinking.

Another advantage to planning now is that you'll beat the rush of people calling on contractors at the first sign of spring. Roofers and landscapers are keen to fill their spring bookings, and contractors may get too busy come the warmer weather to even be able to quote on your project. Start your research, ask for references and book meetings to get the ball rolling. Then put your feet up in front of the fire and enjoy the feeling of being organized - and too busy for the blahs to set in.