Create a Project for the Dead of Winter

There’s always a time of year when the #winter weather starts to wear on a person. Snow and cold likely find you indoors more than you want to be, and there are few holidays or occasions to provide a distraction. We’ve entered the year’s gray doldrums.

There’s a fantastic way to fight any boredom, anxiety, cabin fever or seasonal blues you might be feeling, however: Think up a new #project and get it off the ground! There’s extra time on the calendar, and you can defeat the winter weather to get something accomplished.

At #new year’s resolution time, the project might be yourself and your health. You might have started a dry January or be counting down to a dry February. You might set fitness goals such as losing X number of pounds or visiting the gym regularly.

You might decide to enhance your knowledge by learning something new — a language, a musical instrument, or a craft such as woodworking or pottery. The internet is full of free and reasonably priced classes; sites such as OpenCulture, MasterClass, Babbel and others help you get started.

Perhaps you’ve been planning a few small #household renovations — interior painting and redecorating, installing new insulation or shelving, and so on. As long as you’re trapped inside, you might as well get started on a project that makes your surroundings more inviting.

#Decluttering and #organizing is a great project to start now, since it can rapidly improve your home’s livability and your mood. The Spruce offers a 30-day challenge for the winter months, but you can adjust the scope of the project to suit your capabilities. ClothingDonations.org can help when you schedule a #free donation #pickup.

Projects don’t have to be huge to make a difference. Maybe you have a hobby you’d like to revisit. Maybe you’d like to finish one good book. Maybe you’d like to update your résumé, volunteer locally or help a family member with their project. Now’s the time.

Tackling a project can keep you from getting frustrated and bored during the dreary winter months. No matter what you might choose to do, you’ll feel more confident when you launch a new project and a sense of accomplishment when you complete it. Get it started!

Summer Reading for the Dedicated Declutterer, Part 4

If you want to read the de facto bible of #decluttering this summer, look no further than  The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. Her crash course in #clutter control asks readers to use the #KonMari method quickly #declutter whole categories of goods: clothing, books, paperwork and so on. Follow the book’s guidance, Kondo says, and you shouldn’t ever have to do such a drastic #decluttering again. “The question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life,” Kondo writes. “The space in which we live should be for the person we are becoming now, not for the person we were in the past.” #SummerReading

Summer Reading for the Dedicated Declutterer, Part 3

Perhaps the best-recognized proponent of a #minimalist lifestyle, Joshua Becker offers a practical companion to his bestselling The More of Less in The Minimalist Home. The book offers easy-to-use strategies to achieve the mental benefits of #minimalism, including a room-by-room approach that starts by #decluttering the easiest room of the house and ends with the most challenging. Keep only what matters to you most, the book says; not only can #minimalism save you money, it can free up the time necessary to give back and engineer a fulfilling, productive life. (As always, you can give some of that unwanted #stuff back by scheduling a free #donation #pickup at ClothingDonations.org.) #SummerReading

Summer Reading for the Dedicated Declutterer, Part 2

As anyone who has ever moved after a few years in the same place knows, #decluttering often goes hand-in-hand with #downsizing. While its title has the unfortunate tendency to get people singing from the Frozen soundtrack, Peter Walsh’s Let It Go can help people going through a major downsizing resulting from a divorce, marriage, death in the family or move. The book can help readers sort out their feelings surrounding that #stuff, keep only the most meaningful #mementoes and divide up inherited possessions. After #downsizing, Let It Go encourages readers to focus on learning, experiences and helping others. #SummerReading

Summer Reading for the Dedicated Declutterer, Part 1

If you have time for a little summer reading and a desperate need to #declutter, there are plenty of books that can help. For example, Unstuffed by Ruth Soukup offers advice that empowers its readers to “take their lives back” from the stultifying effects of #clutter — not just in the home, but also in finances, relationships and mental outlook. Practical solutions encourage readers to cultivate new habits and make intentional choices about what they buy, keep and do on a day-to-day basis. Unstuffed offers #decluttering ideas for the mind, body and soul, giving readers “permission to NOT do it all and much-needed relief from the constant pressure to perform.” #SummerReading