How am I using this?

Nothing happens without a plan.  Do you have a plan for organizing your space in 2020?  Firstly, define your biggest “pain point”.  Is it clutter in your space?   Clutter is a deferred decision and can serve as your call to action.  When you enter your home or office, how does it feel?  Sometimes we focus on the what and the how of our space and we neglect the why.   Why is this item here, in your space?  Just because you have space for something – a book, a knickknack, a pile of papers – doesn’t mean it has a true purpose.  Start to think of your space as planned and intentional; everything has a purpose and use.  And yes, it’s okay if that purpose is just to make you smile and bring you joy.  In fact, that’s one of the best purposes there is!

Clear the decks

Common trouble spots for clutter are offices, the kitchen and shared space like the family room.  Pick your most cluttered room and start by clearing all of the surfaces.  We tend to accumulate clutter on horizontal surfaces because we can.  Pick up each item and ask “Does this have a purpose here?”  If so, decide where it should be properly housed, either in that room or an alternate space.  Will it fit best in a drawer or cabinet?  Anything you use frequently should be easy to grab and go so don’t think you have to put everything away.  Think through how you use the item and plan accordingly.  What if you’re not sure why you have this item or what its purpose is?  Again, clutter is a deferred decision.  Don’t just put the item back down – decide to decide and deal with it.  Do you want to keep this item?  Great.  Put it where it should “live”.   Has this paper, tchotchke, book outlived its usefulness?  Let it go.

If you can easily replace an item if you decide down the road you really need it, it’s okay to let it go now.  Holding onto things because maybe we’ll need them at some future time leads to clutter…