Now that the holidays are over, it’s time for a fresh start. If becoming more organized is one of your New Year’s resolutions, January offers a great opportunity to rebalance your home and improve your environment through decluttering. 

Where holiday items are concerned, when putting away holiday décor, take the opportunity to purge. If there are items that you either did not use this year or do not like, now is a great time to donate them, rather then storing them and bringing them out again next year. Assess the gifts and new items that you have been given. Keep what you love and donate some of your old items that you don’t—they can move on to make someone else happy.  Your generosity will make you feel good and lead to a less cluttered space.

Many of us tend to carry mementos from our own lives or things given to us by family members.  Use the calm of January to take a critical look at these items that you are holding onto for emotional reasons.  Many of my clients feel obligated to hold onto gifts, items handed down to them, and their own mementos. But the emotional baggage that comes with seeing these items on a day-to-day basis often leads to stress and unhappy feelings that are neither healthy nor productive.  When these items lead to feelings of sadness or anger and not joy, I try to persuade clients to either let go of them or at least pack them away, stored out of sight. This has proven to be an effective strategy.

Using the calm month of January to sort out the remains of your holidays and to rebalance your home and emotional mementos is a very healthy and productive way to ring in the New Year. Make it a priority to downsize decorations and emotional mementos so that what remains in your home are the items that truly give you pleasure.

A professional organizer can provide invaluable help with the decluttering process, guiding you in paring things down and setting up your space in a pleasing, effective, and healthier way. What better time than the new year to celebrate what you really love and let go of what you really don’t need or want!

Sherry Onweller, professional organizer, is the owner of Everyday Organizing Solutions by Sherry, a professional organizing company that offers customized organizing solutions to residential and business clients. She assists clients with decluttering, downsizing, time management, and managing volunteer projects. She also works with children on developing organizational skills and coaches women with ADD to set goals and become more organized. To learn more, visit EverydayOrganizingSolutions.com or contact Onweller at 908-619-4561.