By Susan Hanks, Hanks Realty Group Home Prep Specialist

The New Year has arrived. Fireworks are gone. The champagne flutes are back in the cabinet. And now - now - you are staring at the same closets, the same junk drawer, the same mystery boxes in the garage that have not moved since the Obama administration.

This is your sign.

Because a cluttered house is not just a storage problem. It is a mental fog machine. It whispers, "I'll deal with it later," while quietly stealing your peace, your time, and your ability to find the scissors when you need them.

So let's talk about simplifying your space - dramatically, decisively, and without mercy.

Step 1: Call It What It Is

Not "stuff."
Not "memories."
Not "I might need this one day."

It's clutter.

Clutter is anything that no longer earns its keep in your home. If it does not serve your current life, it is squatting. And in 2026, we are done negotiating with squatters.

If you have not used it in a year, worn it in two, or remembered you owned it until this exact moment - it is on thin ice.

Step 2: The Three-Pile Rule (No Fourth Pile Allowed)

Every item gets judged. Swiftly.

• Keep - You use it. You love it. It earns rent.

• Donate - Still useful, just not to you anymore.

• Trash - Broken, expired, lonely cords from devices long dead.

No "maybe" pile. No "I'll decide later." That is how clutter wins.

Be brave. The trash can can handle your emotions.

Step 3: Start Where the Chaos Lives

Do not begin with the easy wins. Go straight for the beast.

The junk drawer.
The garage corner of shame.
The closet with clothes that still believe it is 2012.
The kitchen cabinet avalanche.

When you conquer the worst spot, everything else feels lighter. Momentum is a powerful drug - use it responsibly.

Step 4: Keep What Supports Your Life Now

Your house should support who you are today, not who you used to be or who you think you might become someday.

That bread maker from your "I bake now" phase? Release it.
That decor you never liked but someone gave you? Freedom awaits.
That chair everyone avoids sitting in? It knows what it did.

Your home should feel intentional, breathable, and calm - not like a museum of abandoned ambitions.

Step 5: The Unexpected Benefits (This Is Where It Gets Weird)

Once the clutter goes, strange things happen:

• Rooms feel bigger without adding square footage.

• Cleaning takes half the time.

• Your stress level drops without asking permission.

• Your house suddenly feels... expensive.

And yes, buyers notice this immediately. A simplified, decluttered home photographs better, shows better, and sells better. Always has. Always will.

Step 6: Make It a Habit, Not a January Fling

Decluttering is not a one-time dramatic purge followed by years of relapse.

Adopt the One-In, One-Out Rule.
New shoes come in? Old pair leaves.
New gadget? Old one exits stage left.

Your future self will thank you. Loudly.

Final Thought

A simplified home is not about being minimal. It is about being intentional.

Less clutter. More clarity.
Less chaos. More calm.
Less "where did I put that?" and more "this feels right."

If a fresh year deserves a fresh mindset, your house deserves one too.

And if simplifying your space has you wondering whether your current home still fits the life you are building, Hanks Realty Group is always here to help you think through the next chapter.

New year. New energy. New space to breathe.