Dodge The Curse Of The New Year’s Resolution And Hobby-Related Clutter With Our 2026 Time Audit

The new year always brings a feeling of possibility—fresh notebooks, bold resolutions, and the sudden conviction that this is the year you’re going to learn pottery, take guitar lessons, and start roller skating. But here’s the truth most of us never pause long enough to admit:

New hobbies or resolutions don’t just require space in your closet: they require space in your life.

Before you buy the supplies, register for classes, or rearrange your home to make room for a new passion project, it’s worth asking one essential question:

Do I actually have the time and energy for this?

Over our years as professional organizers, we’ve seen the clues of good intentions time and time again: the piles of extracurricular paperwork, the dust-gathering roller skates curled up on a top shelf, and fresh white canvases tucked away in the back of a cabinet. 

We’re not saying to avoid new hobbies altogether–we aren’t party-poopers–but we ARE here to help keep you honest. That’s why we’ve created this blog: to help you conduct a time audit.

The time audit is meant to help you better understand how you already spend your time and make more informed decisions when deciding how to make changes. 

As a bonus, you’ll also learn more about yourself.

If you’re ready to understand how your days really function so your resolutions and endeavors don’t end up dead-on-arrival, let’s dive in:

1. Conduct a Time Audit

A time audit helps you see, with total honesty and zero judgment, where your hours go. Without this baseline, most resolutions are built on fantasy time rather than reality time.

You can do this with:

• A simple printable planner

• Google calendar

• A spreadsheet

• A digital tracker like Toggl Track, Atracker, or RescueTime

• Even the Notes app on your phone
  
  

Step 1: Gather Information

Track one full week, writing down what you do in 30-minute increments. 

Yes, all of it—scrolling, commuting, chatting, cooking, decompressing, meetings, laundry cycles, zoning out, errands, working, and “just a few minutes” on Instagram.

Step 2: Analyze Your Data

Once you’ve collected the data, ask:

• What activities truly energize me?
  Cooking? Walking the dog? Working on your business? Spending time with friends?
  

• What drains me?
  Endless Slack pings? Running late? Evening chores? Overcommitted weekends?
  

• What can I cut, shorten, or delegate?
  Standing meetings, grocery shopping, cleaning tasks, default obligations
  

Most people discover that their schedule contains… surprises. Good ones: Wow, I have more morning energy than I thought… And less-fun ones: I spent nine hours this week on my phone?? A time audit is the organizing equivalent of emptying a messy drawer onto the table. Once you finally see everything, you can rebuild it with intention.

Next, it’s time to:

2. Spot Hidden Time Pockets

Once you’ve mapped your week, you’ll start seeing patterns—especially the small pockets of time you normally overlook.

-Morning wait-for-the-kettle time
-Afternoon pickup-line time
-Evening couch-recovery time
-Scrolling-in-bed time

Each of these “micro-minutes” feels too small to matter, but together, they’re powerful.

Once you’ve spotted these pockets of open time, you can figure out how to get it back for something meaningful to you. You can either convert these pockets into space for something new, OR you can try to rearrange some small times to fit together to make bigger spaces.

If you can’t really move anything around, try converting even 20 minutes a day into something purposeful:

-Reading a chapter
-Stretching
-Sketching
-Journaling
-Planning your week
-Learning phrases for a new language
-Practicing a single guitar riff
-Doing a quick meditation
-Tidying one small zone in your home

If it feels weird to abandon old habits at first, try habit-pairing to usher in something new. 

For example, if you really like watching TV as a way to unwind, maybe keep it, but try stretching in front of the TV at the same time, or even keeping a little sketchbook nearby so you can sketch while you listen to your shows.

If you’re able to move things around more, perhaps you can free up larger chunks of time. Take notes on the following:

-what time of day will you have more freedom?
-what types of energy levels do you have at that time?
-are there any external influences that might impact what you want to do then (traffic patterns, availability)?

Once you find these spare moments and regroup, it’s time to:

3. Match Your Hobbies to Your Actual Capacity

Not all hobbies demand the same type of time—or the same type of energy.

Trying a new hobby without considering your life’s current “load” is like trying to hang out with two friends who live in different cities at the same time: you will be overloading yourself, and you’ll be letting one friend down for sure. 

Ask yourself:

What does my energy look like right now?

If your weekdays are jam-packed or emotionally intense, choose hobbies that:

• Don’t require setup or cleanup

• Don’t require you to leave the house

• Can be done in short bursts

• Good examples of this are:
  
  -Journaling
  -Watering your plants
  -Digital art
  -Gardening
  -Crocheting
  -Creative writing
  -Reading
  -Simple DIY projects

If you’re someone who recharges through connection, choose activities that give you community energy:

• Book clubs

• Group fitness

• Dance classes

• Community gardens

• Volunteer projects

• Group workshops

Matching the hobby to your energy capacity is key. It keeps your new interest enjoyable—and sustainable.

4. Try Before You Buy

One of the biggest sources of new-year clutter is hobby enthusiasm: the brand-new supplies, the classes, the gear, the gadgets… followed by the quiet guilt when the spark fades and the items remain. (We also wrote a blog about decluttering these “ghosts of hobbies-past” here.)

To avoid the curse of hobby-related clutter, embrace a simple rule:

Test the hobby first.
Invest later.

Borrow gear. Ask a friend. Use a lending library. Take the free intro class. Sign up for a single session rather than a full series.

No matter what, remember to align your time with activities and people that bring you joy.

When your time is aligned with your joy, everything in your life flows easier.

A time audit isn’t about forcing productivity or squeezing efficiency from every corner of your schedule. It’s about intention—that same principle you use to declutter your home.

Because decluttering isn’t just about closets or cabinets, it’s also about calendars. When you create space—physically, mentally, or energetically—you open the door for hobbies, habits, and resolutions that will actually stick.

If you’re ready to make space for the life you want in 2025, Organized For Good is here to help.
From clearing out physical clutter to helping you build rhythms that support your goals, we help make change feel grounded, doable, and genuinely joyful.

*Book a free phone consultation with us to chat about your goals*