The phrase “New year, new you” runs counter to the mindfulness concept “Wherever you go, there you are.” But if you wish to make tweaks to your surroundings or habits, the new year is as good a time as any. To encourage success, make your goals specific, realistic and attainable, says VeryWellMind. Start with small, manageable steps and remember that change is a process. Revisit your motivation if progress slows, reevaluate the plan and keep pushing. “Be patient with yourself. Even if you make a misstep or two, you can restart and continue on your journey toward your goal.” #NewYear #NewYou #2023
Tag: declutter
Take the January ‘Cure’ for Clutter
#Decluttering can start with a single drawer, says Apartment Therapy’s January Cure, an annual #organization challenge that begins with the new year. Start by picking a drawer — any drawer — and dedicate 15 minutes to #cleaning it out. Remove everything from that drawer, clean the interior and replace only what you want to keep in that location back in a tidy, sensible and #organized fashion. Place anything that needs to be relocated or stored in a box and immediately throw what’s broken or unusable into the trash. Mission accomplished! At least one part of your home is clean and organized. #NewYear #NewYou #2023
Ruthless Ways to Declutter a Clothes Closet
If you want to get ruthless in #decluttering your #closet, set a maximum number of hangers or limits on how many of which category of garment you will keep, says Simple Lionheart Life. You can track garment usage to ensure that only your favorites stay in rotation by turning the hangers in your closet around; after you wear an item, put it back hanging the right way. Any garments still hanging backward at the end of the season can likely be #donated. Or for a more immediate #purge, imagine yourself wearing each item of clothing or outfit when you run into an old friend or acquaintance — would you look and feel your best at that moment?
Declutter to Support MIA Research
The Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) seeks “the fullest possible accounting” of troops still missing from all U.S. conflicts. Supporting its efforts is easy: Every time you donate your used clothing and household goods to ClothingDonations.org, VVA resells them to thrift stores and uses the proceeds to help chapters nationwide engage in research and outreach that can help identify service members’ remains and other clues to the missing. We make supporting the nation’s POW/MIAs as simple as cleaning out your closets, kitchen or garage — but you’re encouraged to attend a memorial event or fly the POW/MIA flag today and this weekend, as well. #NationalPOWMIARecognitionDay
Making a Major Move More Manageable
About 27 million people changed primary residences last year in the United States, according to Move.org, and one-fifth of those #moves were out-of-state. With the job market still competitive and real estate activity starting to slow, more people will likely be on the move this season.
A move is rarely easy, and supply chain dirsruptions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic made things more difficult. But you can make a major move more manageable if you make a timeline and spread the work out over a period of days, weeks or months.
If you hire a moving company to transport your #stuff (as 80% of people do) there’s a financial incentive to #packing as little as possible. That’s why the first step in any move is to #declutter and #organize your possessions. “If you don’t love it, need it, [or] use it regularly, or if it’s broken, get rid of it!” says Living Well Spending Less. “There’s nothing worse than unpacking boxes of stuff later on only to realize you don’t really need any of it.”
Edit your stuff well ahead of time to give yourself time to sell some of it, or #purge as you #pack. Either way, you’ll have less to transport and integrate into your new home when the move is complete. Assuming you find lightly used items things that you won’t need in the new home, contact ClothingDonations.org to schedule a free, contactless #donation #pickup — or schedule multiple #pickups during your pre-move #packing period and another in your new location.
Moving long-distance is particularly challenging. While couple of friends with a UHaul may be able to handle small moves, that may not be sufficient for families with houses full of stuff. Architectural Digest offers a guide to the moving companies adept at facilitating relocation across the country or another part of the world.
Near or far, a major move is a great opportunity to reinvent your lifestyle and revisit the things you truly value, use and need. It may not be easy, simple or cheap, but you can start fresh in a new place — without the #clutter that weighed you down in the last one. #MovingTips