7 Decluttering Resolutions for The New Year

Establishing systems and boundaries are gonna last a lot longer than any single decluttering effort. This will look different for every person. As you can see in my post about some of the systems I swear by, they are very personalized to me and my family dynamics.

These resolutions could sound like: “My resolution is that every time I bring something new in, I’m going to pick one thing to leave in its place.” Or something like, “I’m going to map out a spatial plan for all of my belongings and I’m going to stick to it.” 

Having those types of clear-cut rules is going to help you stay super organized. Plus you can more easily see the things that are ‘clutter’ because they don’t fit in with those spaces. Having systems in place makes that work feel like magic!

A really great place to start when it comes to a new resolution to declutter your home could simply be to have a better perspective. This really is huge! The way we interact with our space boils down to routines and habits. And a lot of those are based on our perspective and what we believe. 

Your new mantra for the year could be “Less is more” or “My home is my haven.” Making it your resolution for the year to really take this belief to heart will help you align your mindset with your goals. 

These little mantras are catchy enough to stick in your mind. You can even make them your desktop background or phone wallpaper. Or maybe find a picture to keep up in your room. Keeping things like that front and center can help you to stick to it!

Even if those mantras don’t feel true now, saying them over and over again will help you begin to take on that mindset and believe them. It’s going to give you a different mindset and vibe 🙂

Maybe this year you could resolve to make sure every item has a home. By keeping that in mind, you can just put things away as you’re walking around your house. 

If you find things that don’t have a home, then some decisions probably need to be made about them. Why don’t they have a home? Is it clutter? Do I need to create a home and make sure that I have some kind of space to accommodate these things?

Another decluttering resolution is to declutter at least one area or get rid of one item every day. Maybe you’re feeling motivated one day and you declutter more. That’s great! But most importantly, you’re not breaking your resolution by cleaning just one thing a day.

Keeping this resolution simple and bite-size makes it much more attainable. Even if you don’t immediately see the results, you know that you’re working in the right direction. And that’s a great way to stick to your resolution.

You could resolve to keep a declutter box or to keep several donation boxes for different types of things. I have a little bag in my closet where I put any electronics that no longer work. So if one of my charging cables stops working, I just put it in the bag. When the bag gets full, I take it to Best Buy or to Goodwill- both of which have an electronic recycling program.

Have that box be the place where things that are no longer useful or necessary go. When it gets full, you can take it to the appropriate donation center or sell it. That way, you don’t feel like you have to go out and have some big decluttering spree or immediately make a trip somewhere every time you find an extra cable or want to get rid of a shirt you no longer wear.

Another resolution that is highly effective is to commit to creating a certain feeling when you’re in specific areas of your home. 

It could be something simple such as, “I commit to having a workspace that makes me feel inspired.” Or it could be a vibe or a feeling you want to achieve from your home as a whole. Maybe that is, “I resolve to have a home that makes me feel calm.” 

Tying some kind of emotion to the spaces in your home will help you visualize your goals more clearly. As I talked about in my 2022 goal setting post, visualizing the future and having your “why” makes your goal more concrete.

The final resolution is committing to decluttering just a single room first. Maybe you decide to make your bedroom the haven you’ve always wanted it to be, soothing bedding and all 🙂 

The idea is to keep things bite-sized and not overwhelming. If your clutter situation is so big that one room would even take you a long time to get finished, then commit to a smaller section of that room first.

You could start out by resolving to keep your bedside clear and not put junk on it. Just start with one space that you can commit to for a period of time. Once you find that you’re successful doing that, you’re going to reinforce the belief and the know-how that you can do it!