I started last year out strong by reading 5 books just in January.  That is where my documentation ended, so I had to resort to the virtual trail left behind on my Kindle and in Audible for my yearly stats.

I read 15 books on my kindle. I read at least two books in print. I’m sure this number is higher, but I didn’t put any effort in determining what other books I may have read. I listened to 6 books through Audible.

This puts my last year total at 23+ books. I don’t have a numerical goal for this year. I simply want to get into a more regular habit of reading and documenting my reading progress.

P.S. My reading stats would have been 6 books less without Audible. It is a happy part of my work/home commute. (It feels so productive to “read” while you drive.) If you are interested, you can try Audible out for free; or dive right into a Gold membership (which is what I have).

2015 was my year to simplify.

In my process of simplification last year, I decluttered my entire home and lazily blogged about a bit of that process. I’m happy to report that much more decluttering occurred than what was documented. Here is what I learned along the way, along with four ideas for you to try out if you are embarking on decluttering your own place of living.

Idea #1 that worked: Have a garage sale with the aim to get rid as much as possible. Arrange beforehand to have all remaining items lugged away immediately at the end of the sale.

I started off selling items on eBay and later on I held a garage sale. The garage sale rewarded my inner thrift, since we netted a surprising amount of around $500.  I posted an offer on Craigslist to pick up whatever was left at the end of the sale for free. This was the best idea of the whole sale. Nothing can compete with someone else lugging your unwanted belongings away for free.

Idea #2 that worked: Let go of making money off your unwanted items. Donate your stuff and feel good about contributing to a worthy cause.

Nothing is as easy as giving your unwanted belongings away for free. It took me awhile to learn this lesson. A friend of mine shared it is was easy for her to give away items because she felt it was her way to pay back thrift stores for all the good finds she purchased over the years. Once I adopted this attitude myself, the process of decluttering went more smoothly. To be completely honest, it was easier to adopt this attitude because I had already sold most of the things that I considered to be big ticket items.

Idea #3 that worked: Start and finish a focus area in the same day.

I made a list in the very beginning of the all areas in my home that I wished to declutter (which was every area). I tackled one area at a time. Sometimes this was a room, a portion of a room, or a a specific object (like books). I kept my focus on that one area until it was finished. Many time this meant I  physically stayed in that location until I was done. If any item needed to be moved somewhere else, I did not do it then. I made a little pile to move at the end. I did most of decluttering on weekend days because I also aimed to finish that focus area in one day. I needed more time to complete each area than I had the time and energy for after work.

Idea #4 that worked: Realize that decluttering is a never-ending process that is just as much about yourself as it is about your stuff.

Since I gave myself an entire year for this process, it was an attainable goal. Still, over the year I realized that decluttering will never be finished. We constantly bring things into our lives so we need to constantly get rid of things in our lives. This is a skill that we sharpen with practice. Sometimes when I decluttered a space I didn’t do a good job because I held onto items I didn’t need. Then I had to revisit the same space again. This heightened my “declutter” radar, which made future decluttering efforts more effective. Now I am more considerate of what I take into my home to begin with and more easily get rid of what I do not need.

For the past three years I have chosen one word to help guide my growing as a person.

2013 was the year to “be” , 2014 was all about focus, and 2015 was my year to simplify. 2016 is my year to thrive.

Thriving is synonymous with growing, flourishing, and prospering.

To me, my focus on the word “thrive” is two-fold. First, I am growing in my thinking. I started a doctoral program last year and have successfully completed two courses (just 18 left to go – ha!). Two of my goals for the upcoming year include living a readerly and writerly life. Being in grad school is a bit of a cheat, because it ensures that this happens. Still, I am extending this goal beyond my studies.

So far my grad school experience has initiated (or reactivated) ideas that are excitedly stirring around in my brain. This leads me to my second point. Prospering is all about success, and success is all about follow through. In my get to work book, the month of last September began with “1 idea in action is worth more than 100 on deck”. This year is all about putting my ideas into action. If 2013 was about “being”, 2016 is all about “doing”.

Let’s get to work. Let’s thrive!