Cleaning Out

There's something about the start of the new year and the end of the busy holiday season that inspires a very early spring cleaning in me. I just get this urge to make everything really organized and clean out when that may have been slightly neglected during hectic December's. There's so many ways to define a spring cleaning, like taking care of items you don't get to every week like dusting shelves, or re-organizing your pantry and checking for expired food items. 

The kind of cleaning I love the most though, is the kind that simplifies your life. One of my biggest goals in life is to live simply. Not so much that your house has the bare minimums and there's not even a picture hanging on the wall. Yet, to avoid all possible clutter is something that I strive for. Maybe it's a pet peeve of mine for things to be laying around when they have a home they can go to. To be honest, my family thinks I'm OCD about organization . . . for example I will notice if you even move a pen on my desk. 

However, I really think that a cluttered home is not as peaceful. Getting rid of material things is very freeing because it reminds you that those items are not essential to your life. "You can't take it with you" goes over in my mind often. Granted I am all for decorating a home and making it feel welcoming for friends and family. (I bought so much beach decor when I first moved it's ridiculous!) But decorating is really important because your home largely reflects your personality. It's like getting a window into a person's life to see where they live and how they live. That's why I love cleaning out because it's like you become a better version of yourself when you learn what you can do without. 

Whether it's your attacking your closet and giving clothes to the poor that you haven't worn all year or have outgrown, or reassessing your holiday decorations and trying not to accumulate so much, there are always areas to improve. I mean haven't you ever opened a desk drawer or kitchen drawer and wondered how it became a catch-all container? These are areas that are great to tackle at the beginning of a year because life is too short to get bogged down in stuff. It's better to fill your life with experiences and spending time with people rather than focusing on things. 

I read once that "clutter is postponed decisions" so be more decisive in your life, because after all if you wait too long, the opportunity may be gone.