Things To Declutter Before 2023 For A Stress-Free, Balanced Lifestyle

Are you feeling overwhelmed by the clutter in your home, and want to learn how to curate a living space that’s free of distractions and supports your goals for the coming year?

If so, there are a few things to declutter before 2023 so that you can create a clutter-free and organized environment in your space- enabling you to stay productive and on track with the changes and goals you hope to achieve in the new year.

You may not know this, but the things you surround yourself with can hold you back from reaching your full potential. I talk more in-depth on this topic in my free masterclass– The Formula For Creating a Holistic, Clutter-Free Haven. I share all about how to turn your home into your greatest support system & how to let go with ease.

Certain items you accumulate over time keep you stuck in old ways and prevent you from moving forward and accomplishing your goals.

Trust me; you want these things out of your life, and you won’t regret giving them up once you experience the benefits of having more time and space in your life for the new you and the vision you’re trying to create! 

Whether you’re a mom trying to simplify your life or just someone sick of all the clutter and wanting more time in their day-to-day, this list is for you–

What better time to start than prior to entering a brand new year?

There are two things for you to consider when you’re trying to declutter and achieve your perfect space– looking backward and looking forward.

Looking Backward

As we move forward into a new year, it’s natural to want to focus on the future and put the past behind us. However, if you take a moment to look back, you can learn from your mistakes, figure out how you can develop better habits, and more easily identify where you want to go.

Reviewing the past can help you identify certain patterns of behavior that you may want to change. It also allows you to reflect on your accomplishments so that you can envision what you want your next steps to be.

On that note, here are some things to declutter before 2023 that may be lingering that are ready to be left in the past.

#1. Old Hobbies

It’s easy to hold on to things even though you’re no longer using them, especially if they hold sentimental value.

Unfortunately, holding onto hobbies you’ve lost interest in takes up valuable space in your home and mind that could be used towards moving or curating newfound happiness.

Auditing your hobbies BEFORE the New Year is a simple way to hop on to your decluttering journey as you should be able to specify where you enjoy spending your time… or don’t any more!

Try asking yourself some of these questions as you get started:

1. When was the last time I used this? 
2. Do I still enjoy this hobby?
3. Is this something I could see myself using in the future? 

If you don’t need it or use it, consider making it one of the things to declutter before 2023– you’ll make some extra cash as a bonus, and the buyer gains something they’re excited about! Win-win.

#2. Closet

As we move into the new year, it’s a great time to take stock of our closets and get rid of clothes that no longer fit our lifestyles or bodies. 

For parents, this may mean getting rid of clothes their kids have outgrown or baby items they won’t use again. 

While it can be tempting to hang on to these things “just in case,” it’s essential to be realistic about what you will use in the future– as a mom to now 3 daughters (ranging from a newborn to 16), I will tell you, it’s not every item or even most of the items that came through the door during those times. 

As for decluttering your closet, if you’re planning on making some new year’s resolutions or setting new goals for the year ahead, make space for your wardrobe to reflect those changes.

Clothes that don’t fit in with your alternative lifestyle should be one of the things you declutter before 2023 to help you make space for items that do!

As you reflect on the past year and start making plans for the new one ahead, add decluttering your closet to your list and see how your life changes as 2023 starts unfolding!

#3. Holiday Decor

After all the holiday festivities, take a minute or two to assess what items have served their last season of decorating glory… you might be surprised at what you find. 

We all have things we once used that the kids aren’t reaching for anymore, or items that break. Or, maybe it’s just that your taste in décor has significantly changed and you simply don’t like it anymore. All of this is OK and normal! Just don’t hold on to them once you’ve reached this point.

A decluttering purge for Christmas décor may not be at the top of your list at this very moment, but note this to help ease you into your fresh start after the holidays are over.

You could also use this time to review other holiday decor that is not currently in rotation or displayed because of the seasonality and put them on your checklist of things to declutter before 2023!

#4. Release Negative Relationships 

Harmful partnerships, friendships, and even family relationships can quickly become a regular part of life. Still, they also stand in the way of your betterment and growth and are one of the most essential things to declutter before 2023. 

Even though it may seem hard at first (especially if you’re used to being around these people all the time), letting go of these relationships will benefit your mindset and improve your overall outlook on life.

I can reassure you, it isn’t considered “mean” if you decide to let go of relationships that negatively impact your life. 

You’re allowed to do what’s best for you!

It’s proven that you’re a reflection of the people that you surround yourself with. As long as these types of relationships take up space in your mind and deplete your energy, they’ll continue to hinder your ability to move forward.

To cultivate a fresh start, you need to surround yourself with people that are positive and who inspire you, rather than people who are bringing you down and keeping you stuck in a negative mindset. It doesn’t have to be messy or crazy. 

#5. Body Changes

As our lives continuously change, so do our bodies!

It’s not a bad thing, or even a good thing, it’s just a thing where circumstances throughout our lives require different needs ‌than the previous season in our life.

Evaluate your life for items that no longer apply to you… some examples include:

• New skin care needs
• Injuries or events that required specific tools or equipment
• Dietary changes

I highly encourage you to look around and only keep what helps you be the best, next-level version of yourself! 

Items that may have been supportive of your needs a year ago may not be supportive to you now and should be one of the things to declutter before 2023.

Short-term changes like pregnancy require very different needs that you won’t need once the pregnancy is over– My body was going through a lot of different things that required different types of products to be able to support my needs during that time

However, a lot of those things don’t fit my needs now, although they used to.

Again, it’s not always a bad thing, or even a good thing. Just a thing, and just reality. 

Many people think they can succeed without removing all the extra things that take up room in their lives, but seeing as you can’t add more time on the clock, unwanted clothing is one of the things to declutter before 2023 to make room for items that reflect your lifestyle and help you feel your best.

Moving Forward

Many of us spend a significant amount of time looking into the future and painting a picture of how we want it to look.

Problem is, most of the time we get lost in the big picture and don’t realize that without taking the time to break things down and figure out what steps we need to take to accomplish our goals… they won’t transpire.

If you want to improve your life and develop better habits, you need to start by changing your thoughts. It’s scientifically proven that out of the 60,000 thoughts you have in a day, 90% of them are the same as yesterday. The same output will always give you the same results– and isn’t that the definition of insanity?

Want to know one of the most effective ways you can change your thoughts? 

Changing your surroundings– whether that be your space or the people you’re surrounded by.

Your surroundings affect your thoughts, which then affect your emotions, which conclusively… dictates your perception. And, your perception is the ultimate factor in dictating how events in your life are going to play out.

If you’re ready to stop talking about your goals and make them happen in 2023…

Let’s start by learning what things to declutter before 2023 as we look forward, to ensure you succeed at obtaining a fresh start and feel more at ease in your space.

#1. New Home/Space Changes 

If you’re planning on moving or rearranging your home, hit pause before jumping into packing things in boxes and getting to work.

I can almost guarantee that there’s a good amount of things to declutter before 2023 that no longer reflect the direction you’re going, or that don’t support the space anymore that you can eliminate before you go through the hassle of moving them.

When you’re emptying and sorting through your belongings, focus on what your routine will look like in the months ahead and ask yourself if the items you have are necessary and will help support you in that journey. 

Commit to your goals and try not to get caught up in the emotions surrounding your belongings. Truth is, often we keep things we don’t need because of the strong emotions we experience at the thought of eliminating them.

Remember that by letting these go, you are freeing yourself from your old ways and one step closer to the life you envision for yourself.

Decide on the fate of your belongings BEFORE you jump in and pack things up. There’s no use in wasting your time and energy moving stuff around that you have no intention of keeping or don’t use.

#2. New Job Or Schedules

Are you transitioning into a new job in the new year?

If so, your schedule is likely going to change substantially. The same applies if your plans are to be a stay-at-home mom, or you’re sticking with the same job, but you have bigger, better plans moving forward.

Now is the perfect time to map out your new routine and decide what you’re going to need in your new situation. Whatever doesn’t fit in with your new found needs is one of the things to declutter before 2023 so you can make room for things that do!

If you come across anything you won’t need at your new job or that isn’t necessary while you have a little bundle of joy to focus on 👶, decluttering them now will save you the stress these items create once you realize they’re getting in the way.

A fresh start requires a fresh mind, and one of the amazing benefits of practicing clutter-free living is that it allows you to learn how to audit and be intentional about your belongings so you can effectively curate a life that supports your lifestyle, goals and what you value most.

Start the New Year off with a sense of renewal, an optimized space, better systems and better outcomes in what you’re trying to achieve. Time to move on from your past self by saying goodbye to whatever doesn’t represent the new you.

#3. New Additions

New additions can make for an exciting change. Most of the time, it’ll require some shifting around to adequately support the changes that are going to take place.

For example, if you have a new baby on the way,  you need to make room for them somewhere in your space– you may need to reorganize and rearrange some things in order to make them more conducive to caring for a baby.

Or, maybe you’re adding a new pet to your family– pets take up a lot of space and require specific items like food bowls, water dishes, crates, and bedding; all things that take up space.

Pets also need adequate amounts of room for exercise and play, so the more space, the better! Eliminating unnecessary items now will set you up for a smooth transition later on.

Whatever changes or additions you plan on accommodating in the New Year, items that don’t reflect the upcoming changes is one of the many important things to declutter before 2023, it will simplify your transition into a new routine.

#4. Anti-Growth

This refers to anything that holds you back or hinders your personal growth.

Anything that hinders your ability to make progress is not worth keeping. In order to create change, you can’t just layer things on! You need to actually eliminate the negative aspects or the habits that trigger you to think in your old mindset.

A really great way to be intentional with your goals in the new year is to come up with a theme or a word that’s tailored to the areas you’d like to see growth in. In doing so, you’ll help train your brain on how to apply your chosen ‘intention’ to all areas of your life. *If you want support on training your brain– to let things go, to declutter, and to get stuff done, check out my 3-part “Train Your Brain to Be Clutter-Free” series. 

In the past, I’ve used words like strength when I wanted to develop thicker skin, or the word ease after a year of stress to focus on making things feel less strenuous.

It’s hard to let go of the familiar; even appreciable change can feel uncomfortable. But if you want to achieve a fresh start in the New Year, it’s essential that anything that hinders your growth is added to things to declutter before 2023, or it’s going to eat away at your mindset and valuable time.

#5. Excess Clutter

Last, rid yourself of anything that may not have fallen into any of the previous categories but is still considered excess in your life.

In order for you to experience the full benefits of decluttering, you need to see it through completely. As long as the items that don’t serve you continue existing in your space, they’ll keep hindering your progress.

Decluttering is a lot like pruning a plant. By eliminating the old, dead parts of the plant, you make room for growth– and the same applies to approaching your space!

Even if you aren’t sure what your plans are for the upcoming year, one of the best ways to discover your path is by removing all the “extra stuff” that’s consuming your energy and your time that isn’t doing anything for you. 

Excess clutter is an essential component of 10 things to declutter before 2023 if you’re looking for a fresh start. It will help you gain clarity and perspective, and that can allow your mind to be more creative! (which allows you to explore new ambitions and opportunities.)

Conclusion

As you tackle this list of things to declutter before 2023, focus on creating a sense of renewal and reorganizing your life with intention. 

That way, you’ll kick off 2023 in an environment that is set up for you to thrive and be well on your way to a better mindset, and a better you!