3 Methods For Decluttering & Organizing In The New Year
Article By | Lizzie West
After the year we have had, many of us are looking to the new year as a fresh start. There isn’t much we can control about what’s going on in the world around us, but we can look at our own homes and work toward making them feel fresh, organized, and more relaxing. Doing this can help us feel more focused and less distracted by the overwhelming and ever-looming task of going through our things and deciding what stays and what goes. With a large population of us still working mostly from home, this is super important in making our home office a productive space. Many times, it’s quite a freeing experience and can give a feeling of calm and contentment. Here we will discuss three methods for going through your home to declutter as well as reorganize your life.
The term that defines this method is “joy”. Does the thing you’re looking at spark joy in your heart. And if it doesn’t, you thank it for its service to you and let it go. Another important aspect of this method created by Marie Kondo is that it doesn’t focus on going from room-to-room to declutter but by category. Clothes, books, papers, and sentimental items are all categories that you’ll go through in your journey to simplify your space. Lastly, making sure you can see everything you have saved is an important step of re-organizing once you have decided what has continued to spark joy. Check out more on how to successfully KonMari your home by reading ‘Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up’.
On the other hand, Home edit creators Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin don’t believe you have to live a minimalist lifestyle to be happy in life. The key to their method is embracing your life and creating a way to “contain the chaos” that is maintainable for you and your family. These ladies love organizing by rainbow so it’s easy to identify what you need quickly. Especially in children’s rooms where the visual aspect is an easy way for your kiddos to keep things in order. It is totally okay to own things AND you can still find ways to organize your space. Check out their Instagram or their show on Netflix to see their method in action. For a more detailed look at this method, read THE Home Edit Life: The No-Guilt Guide to Owning What You Want and Organizing Everything.
“In Sweden, there is a kind of decluttering called döstädning, dö meaning “death” and städning meaning “cleaning.” This surprising and invigorating process of clearing out unnecessary belongings can be undertaken at any age or life stage but should be done sooner rather than later before others have to do it for you.”(Amazon)
In the book, The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter, Margareta Magnusson goes through the process of not just getting rid of the things you no longer need and embracing minimalism now, but also how to decide what sentimental items are worth keeping. She encourages people to see this as a way to give to others through donation and also giving to your family by not leaving them with the task of deciding what is important enough to keep after you have passed. Check out the book but also use Youtube as a resource to see how others have accomplished this method of minimizing life to what’s truly important.
What to do next?
You have piles of things you are ready to part with after your big decluttering adventure. Some things will obviously have to be thrown away, but what about the rest? You will likely have clothes, and books, toys, non-perishable food items from your pantry, and maybe even furniture you are ready to part with but are not sure what to do with all this stuff. Why not consider a donation? It may not be serving your needs anymore, but someone else may really need it. If something is particularly valuable and you’d like to sell it, trying online marketplaces or specialty dealers is a good idea. For all the other things that could really help out someone else in need consider dropping those things off at a local donation center, shelter, or food pantry. Check out some locations below to help you give someone else the things you no longer need.
Brazos Valley Food Bank
1501 Independence Avenue
Bryan, Texas 77803
(979) 779-3663
Twin City Missions Donation Centers
Second Chance Resale
2041 Harvey Mitchell Pkwy, College Station
Tues – Sat 9 am to 4 pm
979-693-8699
Second Chance II
3808 Old College, Bryan
Tuesday – Saturday 9 am – 4 pm
979-260-0824
Second Chance III
218 W. Washington, Navasota
Wed – Sat 9 am-1 pm, 2 pm – 4 pm
936-825-2109
Alice’s Attic
424 N. Main, Downtown Bryan
Tues – Sat 9 am to 4 pm
979-822-2979
Small items only – Administrative Office
2505 S. College, Bryan
Mon – Fri 8 am to 5 pm
or call (979) 822-7511 to schedule a pick up within the Bryan/College Station city limits.
Community Closet
Located at 418 N. Bryan Street, at the corner of Bryan and 22nd streets in downtown Bryan.
The Closet is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings from 8:00 am to 11:00 am.
(979) 822-1492