You Need To Make This January Declutter Challenge One Of Your Resolutions For The New Year

Dec 29, 2018 by apost team

It's that time of year again. Everyone is scribbling down new year's resolutions and getting ready to hit the gym and fill their fridge with veggies. But just as they begin to fill up, the stress of daily life will set in, and gyms will empty again. Leftovers and TV-dinners will find their way back onto fridge shelves.

So why is it that even when we feel more determined than ever, year after year, we become the New Year's cliche of falling back into our old ways?

People forget that before you can become brand new, you have to let go of the old you. That's why this year, our New Year's resolution is to declutter our lives so we can face our New Year's resolutions head-on without the extra weight of the old versions of ourselves holding us back.

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Do you think that you can follow along with this challenge? The trick is to try and invest even a few minutes a day into each of the tasks - if 15 minutes is all you can manage, that's fine! Even if life gets in the way and you start to fall behind, our January Declutter challenge has built-in catch-up days, so it's not the end of the world if you miss a couple of days. And if you manage to stick to it, then you've earned yourself a day of rest!

Here are some of the days we're most looking forward to:

You're more than likely still surrounded by paper, plastic, boxes, bows, and ribbons. Today is the day to sweep up the mess and haul it out to the garbage. Vacuum up all the bits of paper and you’ll definitely feel much better.

With as much running around as we do during the holiday season, our cars can become the most cluttered of all. I know I have dozens of half-full water bottles, grocery bags, receipts, and old shoes in my car. Getting rid of it all will help take away a lot of the stress you feel, especially now that you don't need to lug around all those Christmas presents anymore!

I bet if you look through your pantry right now you will find a plethora of old baking supplies, half-empty pasta boxes, and random cans of vegetables you aren’t ever going to eat. Clean out your pantry by throwing away old food and donating the rest, as long as it isn’t expired.

Your closet holds more evidence of old versions of yourself than any other room in your house. Don’t hang on to old clothes that no longer fit or clothes that only a past version of yourself would wear. If you let go of all of the things you haven't worn in years, you’ll feel so much lighter when you're done!

We are betting that your bathroom sink is full of old shampoos, hair ties, cleaning supplies, and other junk you don’t really use. Clean out old makeup, throw away mostly empty bottles, and clear a space for the items you use on a daily basis. You could even invest in over-door hangers and on-the-counter makeup organizers to make it easier to keep your space clean in the future!

We all have this drawer or cupboard, am I right? Tons and tons of containers with no lids. It is probably a scattered mess in there, too. Go through and organize your containers on this day. Match up everything you own and then throw away anything that doesn’t have a Tupperware-partner.

Throw out half-empty cans and jars, toss week-old leftovers, and wipe down the shelves. In fact, take the whole thing apart and give the shelves a good scrub - they could probably use it!

It seems as though my purse becomes even fuller around the holidays. I have receipts, gloves, lip balm, mints, brushes, keys, and my phone…basically all kinds of things. Cleaning out your purse will make it lighter and easier to find what you are actually looking for

Now that you have cleaned out the cupboards, refrigerator, and pantry, it is time to organize everything. Set up a system in your fridge that makes it more convenient for members of your family. For example, one shelf can be used for snacks, one can be used for beverages, and one can be used for meal staples. That way, it is easy for everyone to just reach in and grab what they want when they want it.

Are you ready to follow our de-cluttering schedule for January? If the answer is yes, good luck! Your prize will be a cleaner and calmer home and the readiness to take on the New Year and stick to any resolution you can dream of!

Do you have any other tips for de-cluttering your home? Tell us in the comments and make sure to pass this along to your friends and family to challenge them to declutter in the New Year, too!