Editor’s Letter

Ihave never been a huge fan of declaring a New Year’s resolution once the revelry of the holiday season has come and gone. Quite frankly, my mind is usually ready for a long winter’s nap once the celebrations have ceased and my Christmas decor is boxed up and back in storage. This year, however, I am going to make a more concerted effort to refocus my impending cabin fever in a positive and constructive manner. I am formulating a plan to clear out my stash of less-than-needful things and free up space for a springtime makeover of my spare bedroom. Here are a few strategies that I anticipate will help keep me on task:

➊ List reasonable objectives, whether decorating- or organization-related, in a notebook or on a calendar and set anticipated completion dates. To get motivated and appoint a deadline to oust unused items, I will keep an eye out for community recycling events and plan my cleaning chores around them. It’s encouraging to know that discarded items won’t wind up in a landfill.

➋ Create a set schedule of a few hours a week or several hours during a cold or snowy weekend to devote to tidying up. I like to add reminders on my smartphone calendar to establish a routine.

➌ Break down decluttering duties into manageable jobs. For example, I have storage bins full of old bills, so I will separate the paperwork into “shred” and “save” piles while catching up on my favorite television programs. I will be able to still enjoy my leisure time while accomplishing a much-needed and monotonous chore.

Whether you devise a step-by-step list for achieving a New Year’s resolution or follow a more informal approach to reaching your goals, here’s to a successful 2019!