6 Things You Have to Declutter To Be a Better You This Year

We talk a lot about the New Year and who we are going to be, what we plan to accomplish, or what we want to have. What we don’t realize is that a lot of times all of this requires adding things to our lives. However, if you are one of the millions of people who is already living life feeling overwhelmed, then listen up, my friend…the first thing you have to do to succeed in the New Year is start by eliminating anything that is going to slow you down from being that newer, better version of yourself. Otherwise you run the risk of adding more clutter, more chaos and more overwhelm to your life. What happens when you’re overwhelmed and exhausted? You’re less likely to take any action on the things you envision for yourself! Ahhh! How terrible would that be? To save you from this terrible fate, I have put together a list of 6 things you absolutely HAVE to eliminate from your life in the New Year.

The benefits of less clutter in a New Year!

There are so many things we gain when we become willing to let go of stuff.

If you are hoping to step into a whole new you this year, it’s important to evaluate what you are willing (or needing) to let go of that didn’t serve you in the previous year.

There are so many ideas on how to get organized when a New Year hits, and I wanted to gather just a few of them here for you!

Anything that makes your skin crawl

Chances are, you already have something in your house that is eating away at your soul. For me this might be my old, crappy, electric glass stovetop with permanent black burn marks all over it.

While I have found a way to look past these stains and have completely given up on scrubbing them away, I am pleased to announce that new appliances will be joining our family in the New Year.

Now, I get it, it’s not super easy to just declutter an entire stove, but chances are there is something simpler and equally as annoying that you can part ways with.

May this is a junk drawer that you know you just need to dump the contents of. Perhaps it’s an over-flowing linen closet that has so much outdated sunscreen and stained towels you could scream.

Whatever your little annoyance might be, start there.

There is nothing more therapeutic than an anger binge session. Just grab a garbage and a donation bin (if qualifying) and start chucking.

Taking 10 minutes to get rid of your biggest annoyances can almost feel like becoming a whole new, more empowered person instantly.

Read: 8 Steps to Declutter and Clear your Home of Negative Energy

Anything that has gone untouched

We all know this is a rule of thumb in the minimalist world, right? If you aren’t using it, get rid of it! It’s a lot easier said than done sometimes, so you might have to do some rationalizing with yourself.

Here are some questions to ask yourself if you are hesitant to get rid of things that you aren’t using.

• “Has this item added any value to your life in the last 365 days?”
• “What is the worst thing that would happen if this item were to be discarded?”
• “Would you PAY to get this item back in your life? How much money?”

Taking a few seconds to evaluate how much an item is or isn’t enhancing your life can be the best eye opener you need to encourage yourself to just let go.

If you struggle with that “what if I need this some day” fear, check out my One Weekend Declutter Challenge — you will love it!

Anything that makes you feel like shit about yourself

Why, oh, why do we hang onto things that make us feel like crap?

Things like:

• Pants that no longer fit
• The bathroom scale
• Your full length mirror

Man, it sucks that all the things I can think of are solely focused around our image.

Listen to me…You do not have to be anyone other than who you are.

You do not have to fit any certain size to be amazing and worthy.

There are fake rules that we are living by every day that make us believe we have to be thin or weigh less or fit into certain clothes a certain way and it is all absolute crap.

So, be all means, set a goal to take care of your body, but remember that part of that means being willing to get rid of anything that makes you feel like shit in your own skin.

Read: Practical Gym Survival Tips for Women Going for the First Time

Anything that you hesitate on

Do you ever do that thing where you are thumbing through the clothes in your closet trying to clear things out and you pick up one item and go, “Hmm…well, I might wear this…yeah. Yeah, I will wear this.” Get rid of it!

We will hesitate to get rid of so many things for the absolute silliest of reasons.

Reasons like:

• Oh, my aunt gave this to me though.
• This one is newer, I’d hate to waste.
• I don’t go anywhere where I would wear this. But I might someday.
• What if they come over and see that it’s gone?

Bottom line, your home should be filled to the brim with things that you love, enjoy and get practical use out of. Anything else is just clutter.

As you go through the decluttering process, allow yourself to be hyper aware of any hesitation and challenge yourself to declutter that item.

Read: Why Is it So Freaking Hard to Declutter?

Anything from the person you used to be

A lot of times we attach ourselves so deeply to our things that we kind of forget where they end and we begin. This can leave us hanging onto a lot of items because we fear getting rid of them would be like getting rid of part of ourself.

Some things we attach ourselves to are:

• Old baby clothing (ours or our children’s)
• Trophies
• Clothing from our “glory days”
• Unused athletic equipment
• Old photos/letters

A lot of times letting go of these things can feel like we are letting go of who we used to be, a piece of ourselves or even a piece of someone else.

If these same items fall under the category of clutter or something that makes you feel like crap, then it’s time to let go of the old so you can embrace the new.

Anything broken or bruised

The things we surround ourselves with have a dramatic impact on how we feel in our day to day life. Clutter can actually add to our anxiety. Not only can clutter have this affect on us, but if we are surrounded by things that are broken, torn, old, dirty…that translates too.

This is known as the Broken Window Theory.

Summary of The Broken Window Theory: If one window is broken in a neighborhood, it causes a ripple effect where the other houses may gradually decline as well.

When we surround ourselves with broken things it can translate a message that tells us we are not worthy of being taken care of. A dirty carpet makes it easier to overlook the glass stove top which lets us ignore the rips in the couch or the stains on the wall.

Start eliminating anything that is broken or worn down and replacing it with something that feels fresher and newer. This might require a coat of paint, a quick wipe down or even a quick scroll through Facebook Marketplace.

What you surround yourself with matters

At the end of the day, the things we surround ourselves with matter a great deal. If you want to be a new and improved version of yourself this year, start by looking at the things you surround yourself with every single day.

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