Yay for decluttering! But…

Can we just stay clutter-free for the long haul?

I don’t feel like jumping into this particular new year. I feel like sinking in slowly. Testing the waters. Carefully adjusting the taps. Lighting a taper rather than turning on that bright, buzzing overhead light that no one should ever, ever use.

I feel similarly about the design and declutter challenges that surface during this softer time of year. They’re not to be entered into lightly. The “clean slate” approach to overhauling our homes upon the turn of the calendar can set us up for a period of frenzied solitude, while keeping us locked in a wasteful cycle of consuming, decluttering, and overburdening the planet that’s groaning under mountains of all our stuff.

Above: Nonprofits count on donations. But as these recent screenshots from our local thrift shop demonstrate, decluttering on a large scale on repeat creates too much stuff for people and the planet to handle.

The real key is to stop the influx of unnecessary goods into our homes in the first place. Then we no longer have to dramatically reorganize and declutter. We can simply enjoy our spaces in slow, evolving ways, parting with an item here and there as needed without frantically turning out closets and cabinets in moments when we could be doing what we enjoy with the people we love in the places we cherish.

Here are some of my top suggestions for folks who are striving to remain clutter-free for the long run: