Earlier this year, I moved into a new apartment
with just two suitcases of clothes and a few essentials. Fast-forward
to the present day, and I've somehow accumulated closets full of stuff: piles of dog-eared magazines, candles that are on their last leg, and kitchen tools I'll probably never use.
There's nothing wrong with accumulated items you love, but studies suggest that hoarding possessions can have a surprising psychological effect. "Clutter bombards our minds with excessive stimuli, causing our senses to work overtime on stimuli that aren't necessary or important," says psychologist and author Sherrie Bourg Carter, in an article for Psychology Today. "Clutter constantly signals to our brains that our work is never done … [and] makes it more difficult to relax, both physically and mentally."
With the holidays ahead and end-of-year deadlines ramping up, I've decided to tackle the clutter in my home now, before the New Year. That way, I can start 2018 with a calm mind and a clean home and focus on the resolutions that matter most. Here are the 30 items I'm tossing, recycling, and donating by December 30. Who's with me?
There's nothing wrong with accumulated items you love, but studies suggest that hoarding possessions can have a surprising psychological effect. "Clutter bombards our minds with excessive stimuli, causing our senses to work overtime on stimuli that aren't necessary or important," says psychologist and author Sherrie Bourg Carter, in an article for Psychology Today. "Clutter constantly signals to our brains that our work is never done … [and] makes it more difficult to relax, both physically and mentally."
With the holidays ahead and end-of-year deadlines ramping up, I've decided to tackle the clutter in my home now, before the New Year. That way, I can start 2018 with a calm mind and a clean home and focus on the resolutions that matter most. Here are the 30 items I'm tossing, recycling, and donating by December 30. Who's with me?
Kitchen:
1. Kitchen gadgets you haven't used in a year
2. Cookbooks that don't excite you anymore
3. Chipped dinnerware
4. Unnecessary duplicates (you probably don't need 10 mugs)
5. Old cleaning supplies
6. Stained dish towels
Living Room:
7. Candles you haven't used in months
8. Old magazines and newspapers
9. Worn or stained throws
10. Unframed art (buy a frame or donate it!)
11. Sad succulents that bore the brunt of your black thumb
12. Remotes that don't match a device
Bedroom:
13. Discolored white sheets
14. Pillowcases that aren't part of a set
15. Old, stained pillow inserts (try these instead)
16. Wire coathangers from the dry cleaners
17. Scuffed or tired shoes that can't be repaired
18. Clothes that don't fit anymore
Bathroom:
19. Worn-out bathmats that can't be revived
20. The toilet brush—it's worth replacing at least annually
21. Out-of-date medicine
22. Beauty products you haven't used a year
23. Old razors
24. Stray hair elastics that have stretched out
Storage:
25. Chargers and cords for products you no longer use
26. Dated clothes you haven't worn in years
27. Receipts and paperwork that could be scanned and stored on a hard drive
28. Exercise equipment that's gathering dust
29. CDs and DVDs
30. Half-filled storage boxes—consolidate them, and toss any leftover
1. Kitchen gadgets you haven't used in a year
2. Cookbooks that don't excite you anymore
3. Chipped dinnerware
4. Unnecessary duplicates (you probably don't need 10 mugs)
5. Old cleaning supplies
6. Stained dish towels
Living Room:
7. Candles you haven't used in months
8. Old magazines and newspapers
9. Worn or stained throws
10. Unframed art (buy a frame or donate it!)
11. Sad succulents that bore the brunt of your black thumb
12. Remotes that don't match a device
Bedroom:
13. Discolored white sheets
14. Pillowcases that aren't part of a set
15. Old, stained pillow inserts (try these instead)
16. Wire coathangers from the dry cleaners
17. Scuffed or tired shoes that can't be repaired
18. Clothes that don't fit anymore
Bathroom:
19. Worn-out bathmats that can't be revived
20. The toilet brush—it's worth replacing at least annually
21. Out-of-date medicine
22. Beauty products you haven't used a year
23. Old razors
24. Stray hair elastics that have stretched out
Storage:
25. Chargers and cords for products you no longer use
26. Dated clothes you haven't worn in years
27. Receipts and paperwork that could be scanned and stored on a hard drive
28. Exercise equipment that's gathering dust
29. CDs and DVDs
30. Half-filled storage boxes—consolidate them, and toss any leftover
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