It is common for people all over the world to set New Year’s resolutions into motion as they ring in the new year, however, staying committed to resolutions for 365 days is a real challenge. Many people do not keep their resolutions for more than a few weeks let alone until the end of the year.
Instead of setting unrealistic resolutions or burdening yourself with resolutions that you have struggled to conquer in the past, try to shift your focus on “decluttering” … getting rid of things that cause unnecessary stress or burden.
Julie McCormick wrote an article titled “How to Declutter Your Life and Reduce Stress (The Ultimate Guide)” and shared some great tips on how to conquer the decluttering of:
- your work area
- your home
- your life
Decluttering Your Work Area:
Julie shared the following tips for decluttering your workspace:
Desk tips:
- Clear everything off your desk and out of your desk drawers
- Organize into piles
- Clean/dust off your desk
- Sort through the piles and begin organizing or purging
- Create a filing system with a folder for each project/client or topic area
- Office supplies should have designated drawers
- Be sure everything you “keep” has a designated place to be stored
- Get an inbox/tray for all incoming papers and sort/file each day. The inbox/tray should be cleared out each day.
- Keep your desktop clear with only the necessities on the desktop (i.e. phone, computer, inbox/tray).
Computer tips:
- Are there files/programs on your computer that you don’t need? If so, remove them. Schedule regular purge sessions (weekly, monthly) to keep up with this.
- Clean up your desktop. Remove icons for anything you don’t need/use.
Reading Materials:
- Do you receive a lot of information clutter (i.e. newsletters, publications, email RSS feeds, etc.? Reassess which pieces of information are truly helpful to you. Unsubscribe to things that more than likely end up in your trash bin anyway.
Decluttering Your Home:
Julie provided the following tips for decluttering your home:
Aside from your busy work schedule, having an unorganized “home environment” can add to your stress level. Julie suggests:
Declutter your rooms:
- Pick up everything off the floors then move to counters, shelves, dresser tops, etc.
- Sort things into three piles: Keep, Toss, Donate
- Anything in the Keep pile needs to be organized into drawers, cabinets or closets.
- Focus on one room at a time.
Clean out closets & drawers:
- Closets and drawers end up overloaded with things we don’t want out in the open and things we don’t use often or ever at all.
- Take everything out of the closet/drawer.
- Sort into three piles: Keep, Toss, Donate
- Keep only the things that you use frequently.
- Clothing – consider purging it f you haven’t wore it in the last 6 months.
If you are having a hard time deciding what to get rid of, Julie provided a link to another article that will help you make these difficult decisions.
Decluttering Your Life:
Reduce Commitments:
- Make a list of all of your commitments.
- Decide which commitments bring you joy and value and commitments you truly love and then get rid of the rest.
- Learn how to say no and not take on more than you can comfortably handle.
Reconsider Routines:
- Try to set a routine with some structure.
- Make a list of chores, tasks and other weekly obligations.
- Plan out specific days to focus on each task (i.e. select a laundry day vs. doing laundry every day of the week).
Julie shared some additional links to help you establish a routine:
- Powerful Daily Routine Examples for a Healthy and High-Achieving You
- The Ultimate Morning Routine to Make You Happy And Productive All Day
- The Ultimate Night Routine Guide: Sleep Better and Wake Up Productive
Declutter Friendships:
- Spend more time with people that make you happy and get rid of toxic relationships that drain your energy. Julie shared this link to help you declutter your relationships.
Consider setting a New Year’s resolution to “declutter”. By establishing a system and sticking to it you are sure to experience stress relief by having less clutter in your life. Remember to take baby steps and each day you will accomplish a little bit more toward your goal.
Happy New Year! Make 2019 Your BEST Year Yet.
Resource:https://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/how-to-declutter-your-life-and-reduce-stress.html
Photo by marekuliasz on iStock