Remove clutter in your home, from your life in 2017

Remove clutter in your home, from your life in 2017

By Carleton Varney - Special to the Daily News

The most popular word for the New Year, I think, should be “unsubscribe.” I am lost each day in a plethora of emails from people I do not know referencing places I have never heard of and subjects, and products I neither understand nor want to know about.

I am not alone.

My friends tell me they regularly unsubscribe to email feeds or block emails from senders they don’t know, even if it means picking up the phone to accomplish that goal. That’s because on some of the materials delivered into our inboxes, there are no instructions for an easy button to push to stop the deluge.

The world moves on, sometimes into spaces I do not want to know about. I get frustrated, for instance, with all of the updates that continually transform the apps on my smartphone. The folks in charge seem to time their layout changes to coincide with the exact moment I’ve gotten comfortable with the old ones.

And I’m bombarded with new apps, apps and more apps. How many do I really need — or want?

So this New Year, I think, is a great time to unsubscribe, unclutter and unload — and by that, I mean getting rid of all the extraneous stuff you do not need in your home, office or, basically, your life.

How nice it would be to rid your home of old computers, televisions and kitchen gadgets that just take up space and require dusting. Get down to basics. Rid yourself of those old sheets, blankets, pillows, lampshades and rugs that have basically “had it.”

Clean off the counters and the tabletops, and remember that in 2017, there is no need to keep 2016 calendars. The same goes for old magazines; are you really ever going to find the time to read them? And if you’re a subscriber, believe me, there will be plenty of new magazines arriving to take their place.

Before you start thinking of new ways to fill up you newly uncluttered spaces, as most folks will do, simply take the “unsubscribe” approach.

Make a resolution to try to unclutter your mind this year. Enjoy Palm Beach and what really counts. For me, that’s family, sunshine, the beach, and those hibiscus and bougainvillea flowers that grow on our fabulous island.

And many good wishes to you in this new year!

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