Although I regularly de-clutter throughout the year, there’s one time where it’s on my mind more than ever – and that’s December. Specifically just before the New Year. Although there’s NO right or wrong time to de-clutter, I find going into the New Year knowing I’ve made an effort to de-clutter my life – physically and emotionally – and start on the cleanest, fresh slate I possibly can is very motivating.
In this post, I’m going to be outlining some of the MAIN areas of my home and life that I like to concentrate on de-cluttering before the year is out. These are the places that I find makes the biggest impact. When my life is cluttered, my mind often feels cluttered too. So de-cluttering these spaces (both physical and digital) makes a world of difference in how I feel heading into a new year.
Because nobody wants to go into a brand new year feeling scattered, do they? Despite what you might think about new years resolutions, whether you set them for yourself or not, a new year can ALWAYS feel like a brand new start – if you let it. And I struggle to find that feeling if I go into a new year with things I feel are left unfinished.
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Which is why I always like to finish the book I’m reading or finish the series I’m watching before the month or the year ends! It’s just a little, insignificant thing, but it helps me feel more grounded as the calendar flips over.
I’m lucky in that because I’m self employed, I can give myself some time off over Christmas. I always block out a whole week to do whatever the heck I want and give myself some well needed time off, which is usually when the de-cluttering commences. Whether you do the same or do it one small area at a time, it’s all good.
28 things to de-clutter before the end of the year:
Your bedroom
Bedroom clutter builds up more than anything else, I find. And it drives me absolutely MAD when my bedroom is not only a mess but also crammed with clutter. A few things worth de-cluttering before the end of the year from your bedroom are:
- Your wardrobe (this is a big one because you can donate or sell unwanted items from here)
- Your make-up (anything out of date or you don’t use)
- Shoes and accessories (you may still be able to donate these if they’re in good condition)
- DVD’s, CD’s, games and books
- Old bedding and blankets
- Pajamas and underwear (anything with a hole in, GET RID OF IT!)
- Broken, unused or tatty home-ware, to make space i the New Year for beautiful new pieces like curtains and home furnishings
Your office or workspace
When I first “moved in” to my garden office in the Spring of 2021, I was adamant that it was going to ALWAYS be tidy and clean and I wouldn’t barely have anything in it. That quicklyyyy went out of the window. And I’m sure most people with their own desk, office or dedicated workspace can relate! Some things to think about when de-cluttering your office is:
- Paperwork (be careful with this one – don’t throw ANYTHING that you’re not 100% sure you won’t need. But for the most part, there’s probably a lot of crap bits of paper floating about in your office, so make sure they get recycled)
- Broken stationery or pens that don’t work
- Ornaments or stuff on your desk you don’t want or need
- Notebooks, journals and planners
Your phone and your laptop
Your digital clutter will build up monumentally throughout the year. Digital clutter isn’t something we often think about when it comes to de-cluttering but it’s SO nice to go into a new year with a fresh slate on your digital devices. Some things you could probably do with de-cluttering on these are:
- The photos on your phone
- Apps you don’t use
- Old text messages
- Numbers of people you no longer need
- Downloads that aren’t needed
- The images on your laptop (put them on a USB instead)
- Saved web pages in your bookmarks
- Games you no longer play
- Programs installed that you no longer use
- Folders and documents
Other electrical devices
And digital clutter doesn’t often stop there as a lot of us have tablets and games consoles. For tablets, a lot of the above points apply. But you might also want to consider:
- Deleting images from your camera memory card that you don’t need (I NEED TO DO THIS!)
- Deleting games from your PlayStation / X Box that you don’t play anymore
- As well as deleting any saved game slots or information to clear up space
- Delete apps you no longer use
Your online space
If you’re reading this post, it’s probably safe to say that you have some online space that will need a de-clutter. Even if you think it doesn’t it probably does! Here are some things you could think about de-cluttering in your online world before the New Year:
- Your Facebook friends
- Who you follow on social media
- The websites and apps you’re signed up to (deactivate or delete accounts)
- Your blog (getting rid of things like broken links, spam comments, updating or deleting old content, your image library etc)
Do you like to de-clutter before the end of the year? What are the main areas that you focus on de-cluttering? Let me know in the comments!
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