Let go of the old and embrace the new (year)
The new year is a time for reflecting on life and what you invite into your life. This makes it an ideal time to have an organise of your home and to maybe cull some of your belongings which you feel don’t, well, belong anymore.
A full house sort and declutter might not be in order, but there are likely some spaces or categories of items in your home that you’d like to work on.
Certain areas of the home and categories of items are natural to want to sort in the new year. The entrance way is a good one - do you have items from the previous season still loitering there? Also, any papers and equipment from the last school year, or old projects that can be filed or discarded? Are there any seasonal items that are currently out of season and sitting about? And what could potentially be a big category: anything that doesn’t serve who you are now. That is, items that no longer suit your taste (art, ornaments, clothes, accessories & makeup) and items that no longer serve your needs/interests (disused sports, craft or hobby equipment, broken items).
Before you start any organising or decluttering project though, ask yourself specifically what you want to achieve and what your vision is for your home and belongings. Keep this in mind as you contemplate what to do with each item.
The bookcase can be a great place to start your organising and decluttering project.
If you don’t know where and how to start - just start anywhere and with anything. What’s right in front of you? Start with that. What’s right next to it? Do that next. And so on. Before you know it, you’ll be on a roll and making great progress.
If you’re not into the “just start anywhere” thing, there are some other easy ways to get started, which will have you feeling like you’re making fast progress:
Do you have a problematic space or category of belongings you’ve been meaning to tackle? Start there, but start small eg - a corner, shelf, drawer, specific group of items
Is there an easy win, where you’re guaranteed to find items to discard. eg - the junk drawer (every home has one), the pantry, your wardrobe, the bookcase
Start with an area that once done will have the most impact for you and everyone in the household eg - the family room, kids toys, kitchen. This time of year is a particularly good time to have a declutter of toys, as they’ll be new toys from Christmas in the mix and (hopefully) it’ll be easier for kids to part with items that are broken or have parts missing, or they’ve outgrown.
As far as knowing what to keep or what you can discard goes, when sorting through everything, ask yourself:
Do I/does someone in the house absolutely need this?
Do I use this? When was the last time I used it? Realistically, when will I next use this?
Do I/does someone in the house love this?
If I were to discard the item, could I borrow or rent another if needed (where appropriate) ?
Did I “umm and ahhh” about whether to keep this the last time I came across this item? Why? Have my feelings towards it changed? What’s making it difficult to make a decision?
Where will this item live, going forward?
There may well be items that are proving difficult to part with. There might be a sentimental attachment to an item or you might be worried about all the money you spent on something that has gone unused. In later blog posts I’ll go into how to deal with those types of items and other obstacles to a home free of clutter. But for now the above questions generally do the trick in helping people make the decision as to whether to keep or discard items.
Notebooks: I’m mildly obsessed with them. I’ve just kept my three faves.
Every year come January 1st I feel the need to have a sort through my belongings and cull some. I don’t go through everything, but for me a new year sort-out involves:
Going through my papers and chucking out any I don’t feel the need to hold onto any longer (keeping in mind those that should be kept long term for financial/tax/insurance/identification purposes etc)
Throwing out receipts for items that I wouldn’t return now, if they broke/were faulty
Going through my makeup and nail polishes and asking myself if they are “still me”
The same goes for my jewellery
Toiletries and first aid items - have I gone off any of the toiletries or have they gone off? Have any of the first aid items expired?
A category of items I know I have way too many of. For me this is notebooks. I mean, really - how many does one person need? Most of them have now found new homes.
Books: this year I had to get real with myself, realising that I’ve hardly read any of the books from my Read them in 2018 or out they go pile. One has now made it to my bedside table (for reading next), the others have all been donated. I generally only buy books second hand, so it’s not too painful to part with them. I’ve added all the titles to my To read list on the Evernote app my phone, which I have on hand for any times I’m in need of inspiration at the library.
My pile of shame - books I told myself a year ago I would either read in 2018, or have to donate.
Note that I haven’t mentioned my clothes. This is because I am now in a place where I know I don’t have anything in my wardrobe/dresser that I don’t love, or that doesn’t fit or suit me, or that isn’t in great condition. So, for me clothes aren’t included in my new year sort. They’re in an at the end of every season sort. In a later blog entry I’ll get into how to do an organise and cull of your clothes. We’ll get you to the same “I love and use every piece I own” place that I’m now in. It’s a good place to be!
That’s my version of a new year organise and declutter. Hopefully the above tips and ideas will inspire you to kick off your own.
If you’d like a helping hand with your organising or decluttering project - even just enough to get started, get in touch and we can work together to achieve your goals for your home and belongings.