MAKING ROOM FORTHE NEW YEAR:

7 WAYS TO CLEAR OUT CLUTTER THAT CAN BENEFIT

YOUR WHOLE FAMILY

CREATED BYSUSIE ALMANEIH

A little purification is a perfect way tocelebrate the end of one year, and the

arrival of another.

How many timeshave you done amarathon housecleaning, only toturn around what

seems likeminutes later to

find that it isonce again a

complete mess?

If you are likemany busy

families, this is areally commonand exhausting

scenario.

As we head into a new year, consider sometricks that can affect long-term change to

keep the house in order.

Humans respond to order; it makes uscalmer, and when we are calm, we are

generally more productive, morecreative, and feel a little more confident.

All in one go.A Japanese saying, ikki ni, essentially translates to “all in one go.”

In this context, it means that most people don’t push all the waythrough the organization process and therefore, they end up tidying

forever.

If you put your house in thorough order, tidying then becomesnatural, even if you are usually disorganized. Buckle down and get

the whole crew in on the action. It’s a good feeling to tackle a bigproject and see the tangible results.

Don’t store first and discard later.

Here is another perfectexample of how clutter

accumulates, simplybecause we don’t wantto take the time. Tossthe hypotheticals that

you may put the thing touse once day, make

some tough decisionsabout those boxes of

college love letters, andmake friends with thefeeling of letting oldsymbols go. It really

feels good to have less.

Don’t keep anything out of guilt.

Stop and think about all the items in your house thatyou keep out of some misplaced obligation. Even though

it’s not in the forefront of your mind all the time,collectively these things represent a lot of mental

energy. You really understand this when you move.Ditch that stuff; it’s weighing you down.

If it takes less than fiveminutes, don’t put it off.

It is so easy to procrastinate by putting little tasks off,telling ourselves that whatever it is will take too long. Theproblem is that those tasks mount and suddenly there are

40 five-minute tasks. Tick that stuff off your list as you passby, and you may surprise yourself with the results.

A different approach to toys.

Educator Kim John Payne says that kids with too much stuffin their lives are actually more likely to be overwhelmed andanxious. In a world where we have so many choices, we canoften feel overwhelmed, and that is just as true with kids.

Payne recommends that we choose toys our childrencan have an evolving relationship, like musical

instruments, art supplies, and construction.The less clutter, the more likely kids are to evolve and

get creative with the things they do own.

A place for everything.

You’ve heard this before, but it really does work: when youuse the right criteria for keeping things, such as theirpractical use and their meaning, you are essentially

prioritizing for these things by making a permanent place forthem. You are then laying the groundwork for reflexively

replacing these things in their own “home” and making it wayeasier for everyone in your household to do the same.

TOYS ART CLEANING

Emphasize the intangibles.

We place such a high premium on owning things in ourculture, that we often miss another, more meaningful

opportunity: experience. The next time you are consideringanother purchase, consider the following questions: is thissomething you will utilize and/or cherish for a long time?

Will it benefit everyone? Is there a performance, trip, or other experience

that will give you more lasting satisfaction?

We could all use less stuff and more open space,more clarity, more calm.

The New Year is an ideal time to reframe,reorganize, and retrain your entire family’s

habits to keep things simple.