I am fully embracing December as a decluttering month. 2025 is a milestone. I’m old enough to clearly remember New Year’s Eve in 1999. We thought everything would break. It didn’t. But five years ago, on December 31, 2019, I almost broke. I hit my head on a shelf at work and found myself getting stitched up by a plastic surgeon at 10 AM. I was in the middle of closing out the year for the law firm I worked for, and then meeting with my attorney to finalize the divorce papers that would be served 10 days later. It wasn’t a good year.

Since that time, I have been rebuilding my life. It’s a balance of keeping what brings me joy and releasing the energy of what doesn’t. Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference. I was raised in a family where we weren’t hoarders, but “if it’s broke, you fix it,” and you certainly don’t get rid of it just because you’re tired of it.

I’m in a new era: If I haven’t used it in five years, I don’t need it.

I have a basement in my house that has become a “storage room” for all of those things I don’t really need or use. I haven’t cleaned it out in five years — I mean, I have cleaned, but not decluttered. There are games and puzzles my children haven’t used in many years. They will be donated. There are holiday decorations I haven’t put up in five years; they will also be donated. But I am not doing this alone because if I were capable, it would already be done!

There is a philosophy called the 3 D’s. If something has been on your to-do list for more than two weeks, you either:

1. Don’t know how to do it (Figure it out and do it or delegate it)
2. Don’t want to do it (Delegate it)
3. Don’t need to do it (Ditch it)

For me, cleaning my basement has been a bit of all three. The task has gotten overwhelming, and I have a hard time parting with things, so I need help. I definitely don’t want to do it. And I haven’t “needed” to do it, but I’m sick of looking at it, so it’s time.

Whenever I want to tackle a project, the first question I ask myself is: What do I need to make this happen? In this case, it’s Erin Love with The Home Manager, who helps people declutter and get more organized for a living. Erin is coming over for six hours tomorrow, and we’re cleaning, sorting, and reorganizing.

I will feel so much better once this project is done. I will have space to wrap my presents (next on my list!). Every time I go downstairs, I won’t look and feel guilt and shame about the clutter and work that needs to be done. The power of creating “mental space” cannot be underestimated.

What can you declutter in your life? Let’s start 2025 off clean, in every respect.