A look at the calendar says it’s more like Mother’s Day. Yet my mind is on New Year’s as I just finished reading an article by a woman who made a very interesting New Year’s resolution: to declutter one item per day for the entire year. What made it interesting? First, she not only kept it, but she continued the resolution for two more years.

The woman in the article made this resolution on January 3, three days after she and her husband moved from the U.S. to Australia. This factoid alone bears pondering as you would think there would not be a lot of excess in making a big move like that. Yet what makes it an even more enjoyable read are the core philosophies she developed and employed in sustaining her resolution for three years. Some of the key ones include:

• Stopping the flow of clutter coming in – Moving into a new place always involves purchases so this must have been extremely difficult. Still, if you have been in your home for a while, chances are you have most of the things you need. So, why buy more unless you are replacing items?
• The aforementioned removing one piece of clutter per day. This could be as simple as donating one item of clothing, one book, recycling old invoices and other paperwork you no longer need. Could be anything. And those one-a-days can eventually make a significant difference.
• Take on the easy stuff first – Most decluttering efforts hit a snag because they seem insurmountable. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither was the mess in your garage. Remind yourself of that as you simply remove one item per day.
• Put a disposal plan in place – As important as what are you going to trash, sell or donate might be, so is where you plan to do that. Put that strategy together before you start making piles so it’s easier to act on your decluttering plan.

The remaining principles are many things discussed in this newsletter over the years. Stuff like removing emotion/sentimentality your decisions on items you really no longer need. Or buying things for your home you will not use with any frequency. Finally, my favorite, getting over keeping things out of obligation.

You can read the entire article here. But before you do that, go to a cluttered area in your home and target something for removal. Think about how that feels as you delete that item from your home. Remember that feeling. Crave it. Even become addicted to it. Then see if you can do it again tomorrow. If you can you just might find it easier to remember to do the next day…and the day after that…and the day after that.

Happy Mother’s Day to all. Now, on to the article.