A few days past Christmas and, the house is a disaster. The tree is still standing but a bit worse for wear. All through the house toys clutter the carpets. Leftovers pack the refrigerator. Thoughts of cleaning overwhelm you.
There can be a letdown when Christmas ends. It’s like the hangover after a great night out drinking. Sooner or later you have to pay the piper. In this case, cleaning the clutter is the piper you pay.
If there are no children to work around you are a step ahead of the rest. While children can be helpful, usually they are better at distracting and complaining. But, if you have children, they can give you a hand in the cleanup.
Clutter confuses the mind. The longer it is left, the greater the loss of motivation. Clean it up! So, where do you start?
Focus on one room first. The living or family room may seem the most daunting. However, this would make it the perfect place to begin. Unless there is a tradition in keeping the tree up for a certain amount of time, start with that. When I was a child, the tree came down just after New Year’s Day.
After the tree is gone, the holiday season is over. It may be tempting to try to prolong the holiday, but this delays the inevitable. It’s better to look toward the future of a new year. Put the holiday away.
If gifts were abundant, recycle old items. For every new toy, donate an old one. Make a box for a local shelter or charitable organization. Reducing the number of things in the house means less opportunity for clutter.
As each room returns to an organized state motivation to continue will build. There may not be time to finish in a single day. However, accomplishing enough to notice will bring renewed energy to resume the chore.
While you want to clear the clutter as soon as possible, be sure to make time for yourself as well. Little by little gets the job done. Too many times I’ve pushed so hard I had to delay finishing it. It’s better to work at your own pace.
But, when the clutter is gone, it feels great to return to our daily routines. The craziness of the holidays is over. A new year is upon us. Life can start fresh again.
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