26 Great Things to Declutter for the New Year (for a Simpler Life)

Inside: Ready to declutter for the new year? Read on for 26 ideas to get you started!

The new year is a great chance for a fresh start – a time to reflect and move forward. It’s a great opportunity to set new resolutions and goals for ourselves. 

And it’s a great time to declutter!

If it’s been a while since you’ve sorted through your stuff and said goodbye to the things that no longer serve you, you might want to declutter for the new year.

Not only will it help you truly feel as though you’re starting fresh, but you’ll also find it easier to focus and make progress toward your goals when you aren’t feeling overwhelmed by your environment or struggling to find the things you need.

Not sure where to start? I’ve got you covered. From digital clutter to the ever-present junk drawer, here are some things to declutter for the new year:

26 Things to Declutter for the New Year

To get the fresh start you’re looking for, you’ll need to clear some clutter out of your way. Here are 26 ideas of things to declutter for the new year to get you started.

1. Your wardrobe.

Many people keep old clothes that have become clutter. Consider how often you wear each item. Are they adding value? If not, they’re just getting in the way, or even worse, making you feel bad about yourself, and should probably be rehomed.

Sort through your closet and dresser drawers and get rid of anything you really aren’t going to wear again. Chances are, you’ll find more stuff than you thought.

And when you’re done? Ethically, get rid of those clothes by finding a new home for that stuff! Sell it, donate it, swap it with a friend – just don’t send it to the landfill.

2. Your kitchen pantry.

The kitchen pantry is a great area to declutter in the new year. Things tend to get shuffled around, shoved to the back, and pushed out of sight and out of mind that need to be dusted off and brought forward.

It’s also a good idea to check your expiration dates and get rid of anything past its prime – it might take a while, but spices, soups, and canned goods do eventually expire.

3. Your medicine cabinet.

Like spices, prescriptions don’t last forever. Every medicine out there has an expiration date, even the over-the-counter stuff you keep around to fight off a cold.

For safety reasons, it’s a good idea to declutter expired items. If you haven’t gone through your medicine cabinet recently, it’s a good spot to declutter for the new year. Make sure to check for appropriate ways to dispose of expired medicine.

4. Your makeup & toiletries.

Yes, even makeup and toiletry items have a shelf life. Things like lotion don’t seem like they should go bad, but eventually, they do. Old items can also collect bacteria, so it’s a good idea to go through these areas in your bathroom from time to time.

Even if items aren’t spoiled, you’re likely to find makeup products to declutter because you don’t use them. If there is still a lot of usable product left, consider giving it to a friend or listing it with your local Buy Nothing group.

5. Your subscriptions.

One thing you should declutter for the new year that most people don’t consider?

Your subscriptions!

You can subscribe to virtually anything nowadays. From audio and video streaming services to meal delivery programs and shaving kits, you can get pretty much anything with a recurring payment.

And since those recurring payments are out of sight and out of mind, we don’t think about them and may not realize they’ve become a money drain.

Take advantage of the new year as a time to review your subscriptions and declutter – or unsubscribe from – any you no longer need. You’ll eliminate clutter and save some money! 

6. Your email inbox.

Digital clutter is absolutely a thing – and it can be harder to manage than physical clutter.

If you’re one of those people whose unread emails are in the thousands, you certainly aren’t alone. But you can take some steps to reduce your digital clutter. It will keep things a little more manageable, making it easier to find what you need and skip over the stuff that you don’t.

You might be amazed to see just how much of an impact a quick ‘unsubscribe’ session and a few inbox filters can make. 

7. Your junk drawer.

Most homes have at least one junk drawer. Filled with the most random assortment of odds and ends you can possibly think of, it’s a place where lots of things go to be totally forgotten.

If it’s been a minute since you’ve looked through your junk drawer, add it to your list of things to declutter for the new year. Spend a few minutes getting rid of the stuff you don’t need, and find a proper home for the stuff worth keeping.

When you’re done, you might just realize you don’t even need a junk drawer.

8. Your desk drawer.

One more thing you should declutter for the new year? Your desk drawer!

This is especially true if you’re working from home.

Between all of the pens, pencils, binder clips, paper clips, extra staples, rubber bands, thumbtacks, and other random odds and ends that find their way in here, it can be difficult to keep everything organized.

And without organization, all that stuff quickly becomes a cluttered mess. Finding the thing you need becomes impossible. And what good is that?

If you don’t already have one, invest in a desk drawer organizer to keep the stuff you’re going to keep neatly separated and easy to find.

9. Your cords and cables.

Pretty much everyone has one: a random spot where miscellaneous cords and cables are hidden. We keep them around – sometimes without even knowing what they’re even for – on the off-chance something breaks, and you just happen to have the right one to swap it with.

That’s a whole lot of stuff to hold on to for a just-in-case scenario that doesn’t play out too often. 

Before the new year, sort through all of those cords and cables – and let go of the ones you realistically don’t need to keep. 

Spoiler alert – that’s likely most of them!

10. Your craft supplies. 

Love to craft in your spare time, or have a kid who enjoys rolling up their sleeves and getting creative?

Chances are, you’ve got more craft supplies than you really need. Between all of the construction paper, glitter glue, googly eyes, pipe cleaners, stickers, and other miscellaneous odds and ends that can be put to good use during art projects, it can be tough to keep it all organized.

Take some time in the new year to evaluate what you’ve got and get rid of anything you know you won’t use again. It will make organizing your craft supplies much easier!

11. Your board game collection.

If you and your family love to play board games as we do, you might have a bigger collection than you really need. Go through your collection and keep your favorite games.

Make that overflowing game closet manageable by decluttering your games at least once a year and donating the ones you no longer play to someone who could really use them. 

12. Your kitchen counters.

Counters are often a magnet for random household junk. They attract the items waiting to be put away and dealt with.

All of those dumped items take away from your counter space, making it more difficult to work in there as well as making your home look cluttered.

Counters are a great area to declutter for the new year. It doesn’t take too much time and has a big impact on the look, feel, and function of your space.

13. Your drinkware.

Some people tend to collect different cups and glasses throughout the year – only to find themselves with a too-full cupboard and nowhere to store the overflow.

Others stock up on more water bottles than one person should reasonably own.

If you fall into either of these categories, you should absolutely spend a minute decluttering your drinkware. And don’t just throw away the ones you don’t need – you can donate any unwanted glasses, cups, or bottles to a local organization in need.

14. Your schedule.

A new year is a great time to re-evaluate your commitments. See where your schedule reflects your values and where it doesn’t.

If you are a people pleaser, you’re more likely to say yes and overcommit, which can leave you feeling exhausted and regretful. Take the opportunity now to declutter your schedule and create boundaries with your time.

15. Your fridge.

Does it smell kinda strange every time you open your refrigerator? Maybe you know this task needs to happen, but you’ve been putting it off.

Start the year with a clean fridge. Declutter anything that is past its date, smells bad, or looks bad. Once you’ve gotten the gross stuff out, wipe down the shelves with some cleaner. Then you can happily open your fridge without cringing.

16. Your phone.

Our phones get used a lot…probably too much. With all of the apps, tabs, and photos, phones can become a cluttered mess.

Take a few minutes here and there to work on deleting apps you don’t use. Eliminate those duplicate and blurry pictures. It may take some time to make your phone a clutter-free zone, but it’s well worth the effort.

17. Your shoes.

Life is too short for uncomfortable shoes. If you have shoes you never wear, shoes that are falling apart, or shoes that hurt your feet, do yourself a favor and start the year off by decluttering them.

Improperly fitting shoes can cause problems and pain in your feet. No matter how cute the shoe is, it’s not worth it. Clear that space up in your closet and declutter those shoes. Your feet will thank you.

18. Your books.

If you’re in the camp that thinks that books simply cannot be considered clutter, then I’m sorry to disagree with you. Even if you insist they are not clutter in your home, they can be clutter to other people.

From my perspective, books that are never used and sit on a shelf collecting dust for years have become clutter. Books are meant to be read and enjoyed and passed along to others to read.

If bookshelves filled to the brim with books are overtaking your space, the new year is a great opportunity to re-evaluate them.

19. Your social media feed.

If you spend any amount of time on Facebook, Instagram, or any other social media platform, you know your feed can become cluttered.

Cultivate a feed that you feel good about by unfollowing, snoozing, or hiding the pages and people that aren’t adding to your life or your mental well-being. Social media can be a positive place, but it does require carefully curating your feed.

The tougher things to declutter for the new year

These are not easy things to declutter, but letting them go can have a big impact on your life.

20. Your thoughts.

Do you often have to-do lists running through your mind and distracting you from your life? It’s time to declutter them by getting them down on paper or saved on your phone.

With all of the distractions in today’s world, mental clutter becomes a very real thing. The new year is a great time to get the clutter out of your head and create systems that work for you.

21. Your relationships.

Decluttering relationships is no easy task, but it can be a necessary one. While in some cases you may not be able to shut certain relationships out of your life, you can create definitive boundaries in order to protect yourself.

This year, consider which relationships you want to invest more time and energy into, and also which ones have potentially become toxic that you need to distance yourself from.

22. Your past.

Likewise, letting go of your past is not easy. That is not to say forget everything that happened in your life, but rather, work through and deal with things if you need to. Prioritize your mental health.

Let go of negative self-talk or patterns of behavior that are holding you back in your life. Sometimes, letting go of clutter is dealing with the emotional clutter you’re carrying and working to let that go.

A new year before you is the perfect time to focus on things you’ve pushed aside but know in the back of your mind that you need to address. Let go of those burdens and find freedom in a fresh start.

23. Your unrealistic expectations.

Whether the unrealistic expectations you’ve been holding onto have been of yourself or of others, the new year is an opportunity to let those go as well.

Go easy on yourself and be willing to forgive others. That is not to say to allow toxic relationships in your life. However, sometimes our unrealistic expectations of others negatively impact relationships that could otherwise be healthy and good.

If you have perfectionist tendencies, it can be particularly challenging to let go of what you expect of yourself. Remind yourself that your best is good enough. It won’t always be easy, but it’s a worthwhile pursuit.

24. Your negativity.

Sometimes we’re the ones who get in our own way. If you struggle with negativity or are overly critical of yourself, it can not only take you down but also hold you back in life.

Consider adding positive mindset habits to your daily routine. Start and end your days with positive thoughts. It will help to set the tone for your day and prepare you for rest.

And be kinder to yourself. Often, we are our own worst critics. Extend the same grace and care to yourself that you give to others.

If you catch yourself dwelling on destructive or unhelpful thoughts, replace them with constructive ones.

A positive life doesn’t come from a negative mindset. Thankfully, there are ways to change your mindset and improve how you’re feeling.

25. Your self-limiting beliefs.

Similar to holding onto negativity, self-limiting beliefs can show up in your life in a variety of ways.

In a quest for self-improvement, it’s easy to get stuck in thought patterns that slow or stop your progress.

It’s important to be able to identify and call out limiting beliefs once they enter your thoughts. Replace them with more positive ones that encourage a growth mindset instead.

And also practice self-compassion too. It’s ok to take breaks or be in a season where you need rest. Give yourself grace. You’ve got this.

26. Your overwhelming list of goals.

While the new year is a great opportunity to revisit your goals, it can be tempting to come up with a long list of resolutions you want to achieve in the new year.

And that isn’t necessarily a bad thing if that works for you, but unfortunately, for many, setting an overwhelming list of goals ends with feeling defeated and deflated.

Instead, work on creating new habits. It’s a more manageable way to work toward changes in your life without setting yourself up for failure.

Focusing on one habit at a time will help increase the likelihood of success rather than creating an overwhelming list of goals each year.

What do YOU declutter for the new year? Leave a comment and let me know!

The new year provides a great opportunity to clear out the junk and start over. Don’t let your stuff hold you back from focusing on what matters and enjoying your space!

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