It’s a little late for New Year’s Resolutions, but c’mon, is the chaos of Christmas season and its aftermath really the best time to think about goals? I usually need a break and some reflection, and this year has been no exception.
But here are my resolutions in a nutshell:
Pare down, use up, put away.
I feel like I spent a lot of the last decade acquiring. I have stacks of empty notebooks. I have odd ingredients I bought for a recipe but then forgot about, which I really should use before they expire. I have pens and pencils and ink. I have clothing I bought (from Goodwill generally, but still) and put in a drawer, forgotten.
I declare 2017 the year of living inexpensively. There will always be cool new limited edition notebooks and pens and boots and that. I have more than I can use anytime soon.
I also want to clear out the things I don’t use or need–a surprising amount made the cut in spite of my move, and while there’s not necessarily anything wrong with a few sentimental objects, I can proooobably at least let go of that old bluetooth headset I haven’t used in six years and which doesn’t charge. It’s a bit daunting to go through every drawer and closet, but exhilarating as well.
I’m also realizing one of the reasons I’m so challenged by order is that I keep treating symptoms rather than disease. The reason I end up with jackets strewn all over creation just might be because there’s no coat rack. If I brought the hamper in from the garage and used it without the stoopid flippy lid I hate so much, maybe there wouldn’t be dirty clothes on the bathroom and bedroom floor. If I put away the winter clothes in the spring and vice versa (after all, I have an attic now!), maybe I’d have enough room to keep all my clothes and blankets and sheets in the dresser where they belong.
It’s all going to take some effort. Building some habits. Establishing new routines. Maybe avoiding certain temptations. But just thinking about it makes me feel freer.
So off we go.
Enough Ice Cream 
Storage room always makes it easy to be organized. I have a tiny house, no storage, and the excuse in Florida for a closet is more like a teeny tiny nook. If it were not for a clothing rack I built in the garage I’d never be able to hang clothes so they stay straight.
However, there is a bright spot. All my pens and inks fit nicely into a desk drawer. I store typewriters every where! Musical instruments go what is called a closet (too small for clothing), and photography gear fits into an old chest of drawers from GoodWill.
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There’s a definite benefit in mostly hoarding items small enough to tuck in a drawer. 😉 Most of my clutter tends to be clothes, papers (I need a filing cabinet–add that to the “duh, that’d fix a lot” category), and shoes. I have yet to find a satisfactory shoe storage system, one that works for hiking boots and clogs and sneakers and other bulky shoes for someone with not-doll feet.
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