We've all made those new year resolutions that are hard to keep ... you know, give up chocolate, exercise every day, get enough sleep. So for a change this year, how about focussing on your surroundings? Sprucing up your home will give you a boost, and hopefully the effects will last all year! Dora Papas, Better Homes and Gardens Decorating editor, has three simple steps to get you started:

1 Purge - anything you haven't worn or used for over a year - turf it. Of course, if something has sentimental value, find a creative way to display it. For instance, if you keep travel mementoes, get into scrapbooking and use everything from ticket stubs to photographs to journalling to diarise your holiday.

Look out for BH&G at scrapbooking events

2 Storage Boxes - these are invaluable. Have storage boxes, containers or furniture storage for each room in the house. Storage can be decorative - so put collections on display on walls, arrange objects on sideboards, mantelpieces etc.

Storage ideas

Make your own boxes on castors

See more storage in February's magazine


3 Don't try to do it all in one day. Set yourself achievable targets each day or each week - whether it's sorting out your paperwork, desk, pantry, wardrobe, garage etc.

We want to hear from you. Tell us what you hope to do this year to give your home a fresh look....leave your comments below.