Hello friends!

If you are new here, welcome to the Clutter to Clarity Newsletter! I try to send out one newsletter per month (though it doesn’t always happen!). Some newsletters are filled with organizing tips on a topic of my choosing, and others are “mailbag issues”, in which I answer readers’ questions. Also, every once in a while I include an advertisement in my newsletter - these ads help me keep my newsletters free.

Here is what I am chatting about today:

How many of you made lofty decluttering and organizing goals for the new year? So many of us like to use the “New Year” to push us to create large goals like getting our entire houses in order, or reorganizing the entire kitchen. But then the overwhelm kicks in and we never start. Or we start and then the decision fatigue kicks in and then the whole project comes to a grinding halt.

So, my advice to you today is to make your organizing goals smaller. Instead of starting with the goal of decluttering your entire kitchen, perhaps start with decluttering your spices or that notorious junk drawer? Break that large goal into smaller goals that you can achieve more easily, giving you a dopamine hit as you check off that literal or figurative box. A good guidepost is to create goals that are small enough that you can achieve them in one “session” (e.g. afternoon, hour, etc.)

January calls for rituals that actually make you feel amazing—and Pique’s Sun Goddess Matcha is mine. It delivers clean, focused energy with zero jitters, supports glowing skin and gentle detox, and feels deeply grounding. Smooth, ceremonial-grade, and crave-worthy, it’s the easiest way to start your day clear, energized, and glowing from the inside out.

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I have three free presentations in January and February at local libraries. I hope to see you at one of them.

General Organizing Tips

Wednesday, January 21st - 6:30 pm

Parsippany Library - Lake Hiawatha Branch

Registration open January 7 (click on title above for link)

Decluttering Before you Downsize (With Reselling Resources!)

Tuesday, February 3rd - 7:00 pm

Randolph Township Library

Registration open January 20th

Life Hacks for Busy Families

Wednesday, February 25th - 6:30 pm

Mendham Borough Library

Event not yet listed on their website

If you are struggling with tackling tedious tasks around your house, check out one of my virtual body doubling sessions. I normally offer these 9-10 am ET on Tuesdays, but not always. We usually have 3-4 women on Zoom, and we are tackling dishes, laundry, unpacking suitcases, paperwork, etc.

Sessions are $10, but your first session is always free. Session dates in January are Tues Jan 6th, Tues Jan 20th, and Fri Jan 30th. To register, or to find out more, click here.

I read two great books recently, both about decluttering later in life, but with different tones. If you are looking for some inspiration or guidance for yourself or your parents, these are both great. The second one has more practical advice, but the tone is very blunt and not as “gentle” as the first, as you can tell by the title. 😉

Christmas Carols. Lots and lots of Christmas Carols. We keep our tree up through the at least the 12 days of Christmas, so it’s still all things Christmas at my house.

December was very busy for my family so we had a lot of very easy meals on repeat, but I’ll share this recipe for mushrooms that I served on Christmas with our beef tenderloin. My friend Lauren shared this recipe and it was delicious! I made them ahead of time and then just warmed them in the over when the beef was resting.

https://www.closetcooking.com/roasted-mushrooms-in-browned-butter/

My December was much busier than I would have liked, so I am leaving myself notes for next year about what I would like to do differently. I have put notes in my calendar and have created some reminders in my phone. Some of these are about taking more time off and some are about shifting the timing of cookie making and decorating the tree. This year we made seven types of cookies to share with friends and neighbors.

Next Newsletter: Mailbag! I will answer your decluttering/organizing/life hack questions. To submit a question, you can reply to this email or submit a question through my website here.