Christmas is a great time for cleaning and decluttering the house in my family. As a teacher, I have two weeks vacation during this time of year and, as a result of "no school", my teenagers are also home to help. "Out with the old and in with the new" is an adage that comes to mind as we try to find space not only for the inevitable chaos of clutter created by the Christmas gift-giving tradition but also from our yearly cornucopia of purchases.
We have tried to simplify by buying gifts only for the children in our families as well as reducing the items we purchase for our own family. Volunteering with organizations such as Operation Christmas Child or participating in a food drive make a huge impact on how my children view Christmas. They realize that they already have everything they need whereas some children and families do not even have the basic necessities. Regardless, a certain amount of "stuff" still needs to find a place in our home.
Therefore, this article from Real Simple magazine, is very timely. Not only does Christmas create clutter but the end of the year is also a time when many people try to tie up loose ends, take stock of their lives or make resolutions for improvement in the coming year. New beginnings are always appealing. Here, Erin Rooney Doland sums up 10 of her best ideas for letting go of your "stuff". These include letting go of the guilt, facing the fact that "one day" never comes, and adapting to your surroundings. As I read her suggestions, I chuckled at some of the excuses or justifications I have used in the past for keeping an item. In the grand scheme of things, people are generally alike.
In addition, Erin's blog was a great source of information and she has written a book entitled "Unclutter Your Life in One Week" available at Amazon. David Allen has written the foreword for her book and Peter Walsh of "It's All Too Much" fame (my favourite book so far on decluttering) delivers high praise with the comment "Simple, practical advice that makes one week truly life changing. A great resource!" Finally, my old favourite website, FlyLady, is worth checking out for cleaning and decluttering tips to inspire a revolution of organization and simplicity in your home.
As Erin says in her book "Less stuff means less stress!" Now, time to stop blogging and take action. My basement is in need of some attention.
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