January 10 - Note Gratitude

This action may seem beyond the scope of decluttering, but stay with me for a moment.

Develop the habit at the end of each day of listing one thing for which you are grateful. Try to keep it specific to the day’s events as opposed to something general (“I’m grateful for oxygen.”).

What does gratitude have to do with decluttering? It helps you gain some perspective about what is important to you and what you want more of in your life. Which also means you can see what doesn’t matter and what you can eliminate from your life.

Being grateful for your body’s flexibility may encourage you to use the yoga blocks that have been gathering dust in your closet. Expressing gratitude for your town’s public library may make it easier for you when you go to declutter the books on your home bookshelves.

Clearing clutter also means keeping what is most important to you. This brief activity (a single sentence written in less than 30 seconds) can help you see what you truly appreciate and what you think you should like.