February is a short month in the calendar so there will be fewer days to complete a Hogmanay clean of the next designated section or zone in the home.  Bathrooms are small rooms, but do accumulate a lot of clutter so can be quite time intensive.  Decluttering bedrooms and bedroom closets are very time consuming as well but very rewarding.  It is still winter so tackling the hardest rooms when mostly shut in is wise.  But we will have less time to complete the task so there is a trade off.  It is time for you to pick your next zone of cleaning.  

I am going to tackle the primary bedroom.  It is time to look through the drawers and closets and hidden corners to see what can stay and what should go.  This becomes more apropos for me personally as I have retired from a lengthy career and “work” clothes are no longer necessary.  In looking forward to my next stage in life, what will I need for the coming transition?  What is no longer necessary?

This requires help!  My youngest child is brutal, but she lives too far away to help me practicallhy choose what to cull.  Besides she thinks everything I own is a dud. I have sisters who live close by and over the years we have helped each other declutter.  Sometimes it is hard to see what is in front of our noses and what we are tripping over or drowning under. So it is time to call in reinforcements! We get by with a little help from our friends!

I read an article yesterday that gave some practical closet advice.  This piece recommended starting a new year with all the hangers oriented in one direction.  As you wear a piece of clothing you rotate the hanger to indicate that it has been worn that year.  That way next year if you have clothing hanging “backwards” you know at a glance that this is a piece of clothing that is just collecting dust and taking up space.  Now there may be certain timeless pieces of special occasion clothing like a tuxedo or formal dress or kilt that may not be used yearly but may need to be pulled out on a less than annual basis and needs to be kept.  Alternatively I have a friend who has the policy of one thing in one thing out.  So if she is buying a new top she has to figure out what is in her clothing rotation that she is willing to give up to create space for the new item.  This really inhibits impulse buying and makes sure that clothing purchases are intentional.  Good bye fast fashion!  Hogmanay wasn’t done in a day and the journey is not a one size fits all.  Picking a strategy the is helpful to you is what is most important.  And that will mean self reflection about who you are and what will work for you and motivate you.