THINK IT THROUGH

• Photograph each room, then look at the images as if the home belonged to someone else. You'll view familiar spaces differently with fresh eyes.

• Create a stack of design magazine tearsheets that show what you love, and what you really want your space to look like.

• Search your home for small spaces that aren't being used well. Then brainstorm new uses for them.

SET IT IN MOTION

• List the jobs you really want to get to this year and determine the first steps you need to take. Schedule those first steps and gather any necessary tools or supplies.

• Think about timing. When is the best time to have the order in the house upset?

• Be realistic. Say, "I'm going to make sense out of my hall closet today," instead of "I'm going to do all my closets today."

STAY ON TASK

• Commit to deadlines. Plan a home decor swap with friends. If you have plans to trade stuff on a given date, you're going to actually go through your home and weed out what you don't want anymore.

• Another great motivator: Plan a party. If people are coming over, you'll get jobs done.

GET HELP

• Spend money on help from a contractor or handyman. An expert may be able to accomplish in a single day projects that would take you weeks. And a professional may be necessary to get the look you want.

• Be realistic, again. Think of your project in terms of good, fast, cheap. Then pick two; it's difficult to have all three.

START SMALL

• Pull out unframed pieces of art or items that need new frames. It's an incentive to finish rooms because you're excited about the art.

• Try swapping the art in one room with art in another.

• Experiment with mixing styles. You can always move things back if you don't love the new combinations.

• Redo your surfaces. Take everything off your coffee table, all the pretties, then rearrange. Move books, boxes, collections to new spots.

• Add trays and baskets to organize and coordinate loose items.