Clutter can make anyone go crazy!! Clutter literally causes tension and stress. Clutter is that messy drawer that you open to find a rubber band, but the whole drawer is such a mess, your just shut the drawer and look for another solution. Or that closet that causes you to leave for work every morning feeling like you just wrestled bear as you picked out the one pair of black pants that didn’t need ironing. Or that linen closet that still has sheets in it from your wedding shower in 1993. 

Excess mess is one of the stressors in our lives that we can actually do something about in a relatively short amount of time. Here’s some of the things I have learned to do through much trial and error. 

1. Get started. Someone once said the hardest part of running is putting on your shoes, meaning just getting started is the hardest part. So, set a realistic start date. Don’t say after work and the basketball game, I’ll clean out the refrigerator. Nope, that will never happen. You’re too tired for that. Choose a date when you have an extra 30 minutes to do one thing. Don’t overreach. Go for 30 minutes. Set the timer or a TV show to watch or a podcast to listen to, then go for it. Tackle that messy drawer or closet like someone’s going to hand you a hundred dollars when it’s clean. And, if that helps, give yourself a reward. Maybe not a hundred dollars, but a cup of coffee or tea. 
2. Determine in 2021 to follow the one in, one out rule. If you bring something new into your drawer, closet, or cabinet, something must come out and be given away. This little strategy has helped me keep my closet in much better shape. For me, I have someone who welcomes all my used clothes, but you might like to sell yours on Poshmark or at a consignment shop. For me, I’m usually just ready to see it disappear. So, if I get a new shirt, I literally give one away. 
3. A few years ago, my grandson, John Luke, actually taught me the “one minute” principle for clutter. It simply says if it takes you a minute to do, do it NOW. For instance, hanging up a coat or putting a towel in the hamper and closing a door or cabinet. All of those things only take a minute or less, but keep things from getting cluttered. This is the best thing to teach your kids, grandkids and husband. If anyone who interacts in your house follows this rule, your house will stay straight. 
4. Always run the dishwasher before going to bed. For many years, I didn’t do this simple task. I would put it off for some reason and get frustrated when I didn’t have a clean spoon in the morning. Now, I run it every night so it’s ready to unload or use straight from the dishwasher when the new day begins. It’s in the one minute rule. It only takes a minute to pop in a soap deal and hit the button. 
5. Keep bins or baskets in main areas for quick clean up. With the new great-grandbabies, our house is back to being full of toys. While I love it, I want a quick way to clean it up. I put a large basket just the perfect size to fit under my coffee table in my living room so I can easily throw all the books and toys in the basket and shove it out of sight. It’s so cute how both the little boys go straight for that basket and pull it out. Since Zane is now two he is also able to help clean up quickly. Of course, we’re singing the “clean up clean up, everybody clean up” song while we do it. 
6. When tackling a bigger job, like the garage that I will do as spring gets here with warmer weather, I always use the three pile approach. I make three piles: 1. Throw away 2. Give away 3. Put away. The secret to the success of garage-clean-out-day is good music and nice weather.
7. After years of a messy utensil drawer, I recently went to Bed, Bath and Beyond for new trays. It’s amazing how much calmer I feel just by opening that drawer with everything in its place. I literally look at it and think “I love this drawer.” I know, it’s the little things!
8. You might not be able to do this last hint, but it worked for me. This year when taking down the Christmas decorations and pondering how to store them, I thought about the large suitcases I had stored in a closet, but now never get to use because we can’t fly with heavy luggage anymore. I got out those suitcases and found they were perfect for storing Santas and angels and ornaments and stockings and the nativity scene—nearly everything went in three large suitcases that were just hanging out in a closet doing nothing. The bonus was I was able to roll it all back in the closet and not lug them up the attic stairs. Everyone knows the fewer items that have to go back in the attic, the better life is for everyone when it’s time to bring it all down next year.

Well, those are my decluttering tips for the New Year. I hope some of it helps you get the clutter out of your life and gives you more time to enjoy those grandbabies. After all, that’s what makes life fun, isn’t it?