Declutter for the New Year

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DECLUTTER FOR THE NEW YEAR AS 2020 ROARED THROUGH OUR LIVES, MOST OF US FOUND OURSELVES WITH MORE TIME ON OUR HANDS THAN WE EVER THOUGHT POSSIBLE. UNFORTUNATELY, WE WEREN’T ABLE TO MOVE ABOUT THE CABIN AS FREELY AS WE WOULD HAVE LIKED AND FRUSTRATION SET IN QUICKLY. With our restricted movement came fantasies of what we could do with our time:

at staring endlessly at all of our stuff and wishing it would disappear. Many of us are still staring.

• write the great novel you’ve always dreamed about; • learn a new language;

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• start an online business; • learn to make sushi; or • (insert any other self-proclaimed shortcoming from 2020 here). Instead, emotional overwhelm left many of us sitting at home doing nothing and beating ourselves up for not doing more. We became adept

Let’s change that. You don’t have to climb the whole Change Mountain in a day, but you do need to start. Looking at the whole project can overwhelm the best of us. I believe in chunking the bigger tasks out into smaller ones. Commit to one task at a time. Don’t look at the whole project. Focus on one shelf, one drawer, one section of the closet and so on. Completion of a task, not the whole project, is key to motivating further work.

BY JODI BROWN

Before you organize anything, you must de-clutter and remove all the things that no longer serve you. Our kitchen and bedrooms are being used more than ever before. Let’s focus on ways to make these two rooms function a bit easier.

KITCHEN We are spending more time than ever in the kitchen. Let’s stop fighting with stuff and get rid of what we don’t need. Make sure to have two bags (or boxes) ready for sorting. Clear off a table or counter space to receive items as you work through them. Let’s go! From your pantry/dry goods shelf remove items one at a time. Check the expiration date. Toss what’s out of date and decide, before you put it down, if you are keeping it or donating it. Be brutal. You know you’ve got items that you aren’t going to consume, so give JANUARY '21

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DECLUTTER FOR THE NEW YEAR them to someone who will. Bulk items always get downsized in my pantry. If you have one cup of ingredients in a huge, wholesale club sized bag, then downsize and label it. Go through your handheld gadgets and touch every single item. Anything that you have not used in the last six months goes into the box. When you are done sorting, cover the box, label it and store it. Mark your calendar to follow up six months from that day. If you never open it during those six months, donate the whole thing, unopened, to the charity of your choice.

a good inventory of what you have. Toss whatever looks bad or is old. Repack it so that it’s easy to pull food out weekly for defrosting. Put the oldest items in front so they’re consumed first. Now that you know what’s in your food storage areas, start eating your way through both the pantry and freezer so that you can rotate those food items out with newer ones.

BEDROOMS

Inspired? Do the same with your pots and pans. First match up your lids to pans. Toss any lid that doesn’t fit. Box up items you haven’t used in six months, label and put them in storage—same deal with gadgets. Whatever you don’t use in six months, donate.

Some of us are now working from home, and because of space constraints and/or privacy issues, our bedrooms have suddenly become our offices, too. Sleep deprivation is on the rise. It’s more important than ever before to be sure that your bedroom feels like a restful sanctuary. Sleep is the number one contributor to overall good health. Love yourself enough to get a good night’s rest every night.

Freezer burn is real. Take everything out so you can get

Your bed should be for only two things. Sleep and sex. As your

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Go through your handheld gadgets and touch every single item. Anything that you have not used in the last six months goes into the box. When you are done sorting, cover the box, label it and store it. Mark your calendar to follow up six months from that day. If you never open it during those six months, donate the whole thing, unopened, to the charity of your choice.

activities in bed become more varied (TV watching, eating, working), your likelihood of getting a good night’s sleep declines. Stop confusing your brain and designate your bed as a restful sexy spot, nothing more. Make sure you have clearly defined work and sleep spaces. If you have limited space, get a folding screen to block off your workspace at night, before you lay down to sleep. The last thing you see before you go to sleep is your nightstand, and it should be clear of clutter. I highly recommend a nightstand with drawers so that you can hide whatever you feel compelled to have next to you. If you do have a nightstand with drawers, go through one at a time and clear out the items you no longer need. Free up the good energy around your bed. Do not plug your phone into an outlet and leave it next to your bed. Night scrolling is a sleep killer. Organize a charging station at your designated workspace or somewhere else away from your bed.


Your bed should be for only two things. Sleep and sex. As your activities in bed become more varied, your likelihood of getting a good night’s sleep declines. Stop confusing your brain and designate your bed as a restful sexy spot, nothing more.

As for your closets and dresser drawers, that is a highly personalized task and it’s about not as easy to give blanket advice because we all buy clothes differently. Some folks actually “build” wardrobes over periods of time, especially classic looks. All of us can create some space by getting rid of anything that doesn’t fit, is torn, broken or needs repair. And those items you’ve been holding onto forever hoping they’ll fit again... it’s time... let them go.

small wins that add up to bigger ones. All or nothing is a recipe for disaster.

About the Author Jodi Brown is more than a professional organizer—she helps individuals positively transform their homes, health, businesses and ultimately their lives. Her proven approach provides an intuitive understanding of her clients’ unique needs. For a free 30-minute phone consult send her an email at organizerjodibrown@ gmail.com.

Let’s not make feelings of overwhelm part of the 2021 conversation. Chunk out your de-cluttering and organization projects so that you have a bunch of

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