It’s a new year. What better time than now to blast away at the nagging guilt quietly tugging within? And why not begin decluttering your world, too? Emotions are so easily affected by material possessions. So, let’s rid the guilt and weight of lingering clutter. Ready to breathe a little more freely? We are, too. 

1. Apologize better. Guilt often magnifies as result of not making (or accepting) an earnest apology. If there’s a lingering situation for which you’ve not attained closure, do what’s right. If it’s your fault? Own up. Then move on.
2. Be kind to yourself. Humans are so very good at guilting ourselves, aren’t we? We expect perfection. If we’re not overachieving, we feel we’re not achieving. If the house is dirty, the dinner’s not so healthy, if we didn’t make it to the gym, or if it took three days to call Mom back, we feel guilty. STOP IT. Be kind to yourself. Do what you can, when you can. All we can do is the best we can do. Period.
3. No room for the unnecessary. Get rid of it. Shed it from your world. Any material item that does not evoke feelings of positivity, contentedness, necessity or joy should be given a swift kick out the door. Life is too short to be surrounded by what makes you feel like crap.  
4. A room per month. Yes, on your calendar notate each month as the ‘month of the laundry room/kitchen/master bedroom,’ etc. Spend at least an hour per week dedicated to purging the specified room. Donate multiples, throw away or fix broken items, donate what doesn’t fit, keep what you love and toss the rest. By the end of the year? You’ll likely have removed (literally) hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds of material items.
5. Paper has a place. And only one place. Designate one area (or countertop, if need be) for all papers. Organize from there.  Separate and address items as follows: garbage, calendar items + invitations, bills, filing, and to-do’s. Set a time each week (or once per month) for bills and filing, so they don’t pile up. Doing so will force organization where it really counts.
6. Furnish another’s casa. Donate furniture. In the last year, between household moves, we’ve donated dining sets, chairs, recliners and so much more to The Salvation Army. They come to your home to pick up items—and off the weight goes. Out of your life and hopefully helping someone in need. (Make an appointment through their website at www.salvationarmyusa.org; and ensure they will accept your items.) If it’s no longer useful and you don’t love it? Out it goes.

For expert, in-depth direction to continue decluttering your world, check out one of our favorite books by Marie Kondo, the queen of tidy. Her #1 New York Times Best Seller “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up,” ISBN 978-1-60774-730-7, is  currently available on Amazon.com for $9.69, plus free shipping for Prime members.  

Or, check out the following websites:

www.declutterlikeamother.com 

www.heytherehome.com