I will it away each year – the dreaded spring cleaning.

My goal is steadfast: clear out clutter, recycle paper junk and send boxes of gently used items to charity.

Check, check and check.

I don’t know about you, but I have loads more to tackle. Most years, unless I take days off of work to tidy up, paint and declutter, it falls to the wayside. This spring, I was on a mission to reclaim a few rooms.

It was Meri’s mom who offered the sage advice: Pick a room and start. The rest will fall into place.

So last month, that’s just what I did.  And for the first time in three years, I can once again see the floor of our office.

I wish I had taken a pic before I started my cleaning frenzy, but this part of the room was filled with office supplies and samples and old magazines. ALL GONE!

Among the personal goodies I trashed were my old discman and my answering machine, which didn’t record any more. Why oh why do I still own that? (Side note, if you call my home number, you no longer have the option to leave a message. Call my cell or email me instead.)

These boxes are ready to be donated

I love to share no-longer-needed items with a local charity, A Second Thought. It’s run  by a local Christian-based non profit and the proceeds benefit programs for people with disabilities. Every few months, I take bags of clothes there. It’s a win all around – they get items to sell or share with people in need, and I reclaim my closet.

Slowly, I am making my way through my house and items my husband stockpiled when he worked from home for a few years. We’re working our way through boxes and sending them to off their new homes.

However, I get easily sidetracked by trying new recipes – and new workouts.

Easter Enchiladas!

Spin class in the local YMCA’s new spinning stadium! I think I found my new Monday morning workout!

And halfway through writing this post I decided I HAD to make banana bread.

Really, I know it’s a work in progress. It will never be perfect. It’s so far from ideal its not even funny.

Here are a few tips to help you declutter:

– While considering getting rid of an item – ask yourself when you last saw or used an item. If your answer is over a year, toss it.

Books get their own category in my home as I’m a complete bookworm. I hold onto books (and newspaper clippings) far longer than I should. I blame my profession. Lately, I’ve been clearing those away too:

– I ask if I have any plans in the next year to read or re-read the book. If the answer is no, away goes the book.

– Put paper junk directly into the recycling, shredder or garbage can. Don’t let it lay around. Cut it off at the pass.

– Not sure if you want to permanently get rid of a once-beloved item? Put it in the “not sure” box. Revisit that box a few months later. If you didn’t even think about the item(s) inside, you know its fate.

And don’t worry – you’re not alone. Here’s a look at the room I am dreading. (I just shut the door to cope.)

No, really. This is real.

 Happy Spring y’all! Please share your tips on what works best for you when trying to declutter?