It’s another new year – time for a new me – or at least another opportunity to try to be my best right? That feeling is pretty universal at this time of year. But I’m going to argue that for those of us with early January birthdays (mine was on the 11th and inspired this blog) the feeling is additionally intense!
I spent the first week of the year cleaning. Not just a little dusting, oh no, I mean Cleaning with a capital C! The New Year had me attacking my problem closet. You know, the one place that you allow yourself to throw the stuff you just don’t want to deal with. Somehow, thankfully, the New Year gave me the desire and energy to rid me of the clutter in my life. And this would not be a temporary fix but a lifestyle change. How do you kick the habit of a cluttered life? By removing the dead weight of your unnecessary things and embracing the tiny living lifestyle.
When we see tiny homes we can’t help but wonder about our STUFF, right? Where would you put it? Or maybe, better yet, might going tiny be an opportunity to unburden oneself of the STUFF! What was I going through? So much stuff I didn’t need: Christmas cards from 2000 (recycle), paperwork from an old class (recycle), cards from my deceased Aunt (organize, keep, label and plan to share with my daughter). The process is all about prioritization – revisiting and letting go. Oh, how good it feels!
The popular shows on TV remind us about the opposing forces that many of us face. I’m talking about the range of shows from going “Tiny” to dealing with “Hoarders” in our lives. Most of us fall somewhere in between and January is a good time to take stock of where we fall in that range – and where we might like to see ourselves!
I knew very clearly, that this closet and most of its contents were not on my “need” list. And therefore some time and energy to attack it felt very good. It’s now nice and organized and I have a fresh appreciation for the process of downsizing (after all, I just attacked one closet)! If you read a blog or book about cleaning up – for whatever end purpose, everyone talks about prioritization. The DIY tiny builders love to think about to store a treasured collection. Or they’ll show you how to fit in a special sewing spot if that’s one’s passion.
No matter where one lives, in 100 or 4000 sq ft, we are all called by the turn of the calendar to a New Year, hoping to make changes for good. And if you’re reading this blog because you are pondering a big transition to “tiny”, start small, my friend! Start with one closet, one drawer – it’s those small steps that just might lead you down the road to a much larger type of change. And when you’re ready to rid yourself of your everyday clutter and think about tiny living we will be here to help you find a solution.
Cheers to a better you in 2017!