Keeping the New Year Simple

Have you ever noticed the overwhelming media onslaught of headlines for cleaning and organizing your life that pop up around the first of the year?

Simple Ways to Cut Clutter

How to Organize Your Closet

10 Storage Solutions for Your Kitchen

No wonder by the time each new year rolls around you feel compelled to have a new year’s resolution of simplifying your life or at the very least cleaning your closet!

If you are anything like me, you have good intentions and you may even start the clean up. But do you ever feel like you completely finish the job? I know I don’t.

Clearing the clutter means a lot of work. Sure, I have bought the tools to help me organize: my drawers have nice liners, my closet now has shoe racks and I have thrown away years of collected “stuff.” But still I feel like I am always challenged by the clutter. Sound familiar?

I think the reason I can’t keep my life uncluttered is because I like to hang on to things. It’s funny how nostalgic I can become over things in my closet. I think I have something from each era in my life, my Girl Scout sash or the wonderful black stiletto heels that are finally back in style. Although my kids are grown I still have their baby blankets and a couple of outfits they wore. I simply can’t let them go. There are too many memories tied up in all this clutter and I joyfully hang on to all the sweet memories.

My house will never be immaculate, my life will never be without clutter. I am simply too busy and too emotionally attached. My work, my friends and family are too important to me to keep them from cluttering my life and I joyfully surrender!

As 2012 is upon us I am again challenged to clean the clutter from my life. This year I think I am going to approach de-stressing and de-cluttering differently. This year my focus is going to be to keep it simple, and not worry about the small stuff. When I am stressing out, I will  find a few minutes to regroup, meditate and pray God will give me the strength and wisdom to recognize my priorities.

Featured photo: ©JJava/photoxpress.com

About the Author

Tammy Monjaras

Tammy Monjaras serves as the director of the customer satisfaction division. As an avid reader, she loves speaking to customers about the latest books Franciscan Media offers. Tammy is a native Texan but has called Cincinnati home for the past 15 years with her husband, Richard, children and grandchildren.