Clutter Audit - Reclaim your space!

Here we are, six months into 2026. How are you doing with your resolutions? Hello? Hello? Oh, I see. That's okay. Most people who have made resolutions (43%) have abandoned their plan of intention by the end of January and only about 9% complete them! But, we as humans have the compunction to try, try again.

In the interest of relieving some of that guilt of having not met the mark, let's take a look at how we can re-boot. Clutter is everywhere all the time. It's hard to corral, hard to let go of, and hard to prevent.

So, my experience with clutter has its roots in responsibility. In my work, I wanted to make sure that I could hand over resources and information in someone's hour of need. I held onto papers, text books, legal documents, transcripts, reports, professional journals, copies of recommendations and accolades - by me and for me! You never know when you may need to produce an argument for keeping your job! When I retired from my school counseling career, I gave myself permission to release these items because...they no longer served me. That makes sense, right?

Why does it sometimes take a major pivot in order for us to shake loose those things that, all together now, no longer serve us? We get stuck in accumulation mode. And we can get unstuck. You can do it! If you need moral support, enlist a not-too-sympathetic friend who can keep you task-oriented. Consider the relief you experience when you let things go. Physically, space opens up and you are freer to organize the important stuff that you have chosen to keep. Below are a few suggestions to get your Swedish death cleaning process underway in order to keep those who come after you from feeling resentful.

1. Shorten your obligation window and reach.

   1. Keep papers until the end of the year, six months, quarter, whichever timeframe makes sense.

   2. Hand off resources to the people who will benefit from them - colleages, libraries (rare), charitable organizations, family members. If you cannot conjure a recipient, your next step is recycling (preferred) or trash.

2. Avoid buying more containers! This is not helpful in letting things go. It does not make space, it just moves your clutter.

   
   

3. Reduce your collections.

   1. Identify a sentimental treasure or two that represents a collection to keep.

   2. Take pictures, if you like, of your special items and keep them in a file on your phone.

   3. When sorting collections that belonged to loved ones, keep in mind, their items held special value or memories for them, but you are not obligated to carry the torch forward.

      
      

4. Emotions can get in the way of progress. Examine where you feel fewer tugs on your heartstrings and start there. Hint: Family photos are not unemotional! Junk drawers, electronics, text books, cutlery, even shoes offer good neutral starting points.

   
   

5. Create categories.

   1. Save - These things get put away in files, drawers, closets, or on shelves.

   2. Donate - Bag up and deliver to your chosen charity on their next business day.

   3. Discard - Deposit directly in the trash or recycling bin.

      
      

6. Avoid pileup.

   a. Resist the "just for now" default placement especially on flat surfaces.

   b. Sort your incoming mail by handling once - directing it into bills to pay, documents to file/scan and save, and the recycling bin right by your work station.

   c. Limit your acquisition of new stuff! Use the one-in, one-out principle with items like clothing and shoes (those would usually be two-in, two-out!)

   d. Schedule purges when you shift seasons in your wardrobe. This is a perfect time to weed out the stretched out, faded items that have seen their best days plus UNUSED and NEGLECTED items that are begging for purpose.

You are on your way to unburdening yourself of unnecessary clutter AND the guilt that can weigh heavier than many of our soon-to-be discards.