Welcome to 2020! As January comes to a close, we are taking a hard look at our New Year’s Resolutions and are aligning our goals for the year with the reality of our schedules. It can be daunting to think of tackling large projects head-on, so we wanted to share a few tips for decluttering your home or office space. Once your space is clear, your mind will be able to better focus on the matter at hand!
- File and or Recycle your old paperwork. Take a few minutes to gather all of the papers, coupons, notes, and receipts that seem to collect on your surfaces. Organize them into files that you’ll need to reference in the future, then recycle the rest. You’ll be amazed at how clean your space is and how much more space you have for new ideas!
- Refresh your magazines and clean out your books. How do we end up with so many magazine subscriptions? Take a few minutes to go through the magazines and books lying around your living room or office. Recycle the older materials, keeping only the recent/important ones you will need to reference, or the books you know you’ll read again. And be honest with yourself…
- Clean off your counters. Do you still have tape sitting out from holiday wrapping? Or is your mixer still out from the 3-day bake-a-thon? No worries, it can be hard to acknowledge that the excitement of the holidays is over. But putting away seasonal items or appliances that you don’t use regularly will create a clear space for tackling new projects and calming the mind while you take your next big step.
- Pair down your office accessories. We all get to a point where we have too many trinkets in our office. Take time to identify the trinkets that support your growth and creativity. Then take the others to Goodwill. Now you have an office set to welcome new inspiration into your space and have likely provide inspiration for a stranger, keeping the good karma going.
- Clear out those corners. We all have one (or more) a corner or side table where we drop whatever we are holding when we walk in a room. Chances are most of those items already have a place in your home or office, and if they don’t, do they qualify for recycling or donation? Need inspiration to keep that corner clean of clutter? Add a simple basket to the space as an accent to the room and a way to control the clutter. Once your basket is full, time to declutter again!
- Tackle your closet- just a quick overhaul. Did you get new boots for the holidays? It might be time to retire or donate your old pair. Take 10 minutes to remove old garments, shoes, and accessories that you haven’t worn in years or don’t fit well. (Make sure to toss that pair of shoes with the hole in them.) Do this every month or so, and soon you’ll have a sparkling closet with plenty of room to build the new look you are going for in 2020.
