A New Year, A Good Sort: Making Space Without Guilt

By Amanda Soehl

Happy New Year!

As the holiday pace slows and January settles in, I hope you have a moment to pause, reflect, and reset. With the first new moon of the year comes a natural invitation to set an intention for yourself — a gentler alternative to resolution making, which is rigid and weighted with pressure. Instead, intentions are rooted in values rather than outcomes. They’re flexible and leave room for adjustment, learning, and imperfection.

If nothing comes to mind for you, consider this: trying to live more intentionally —making a conscious effort to have more of your choices support your values rather than being carried along on autopilot. For many of us, to begin leaning into what matters most, we first need to remove what

gets in the way — the noise. The clutter.

The clutter we carry

Clutter shows up in more places than we often realize. There’s the physical kind: clothes we don’t wear anymore, overstuffed drawers, piles of paperwork, half-used beauty products, “just in case” items, and things we’ve inherited, been gifted, or feel guilty letting go of. There’s also digital clutter — chaotic photo libraries, apps we haven’t opened in years, endless notifications, overflowing inboxes.

It all adds up.

The impact is obvious at times: frustration when you can’t find that email, stress when getting dressed, or dread when opening a packed closet. Other times it’s quieter. The constant low-level hum of anxiety. It pulls at our attention, interrupts rest, and stops us from feeling truly at ease in even our most cherished spaces. It contributes to decision fatigue and that vague sense of being overwhelmed without knowing exactly why.

Decluttering is an act of care — for your time, your well-being, and your values. It’s not about perfect homes or strict rules. It’s about creating systems that support how you actually live.

A gentle way to begin

Decluttering doesn’t need to be dramatic or all-at-once. Slow and thoughtful is often the

best approach. See if any of the below work for you as a starting point.

1. Start with an intention. Not a to do list.

Ask yourself: How do I want to feel in this space? Calm? Energized? Creative? Let that feeling guide your decisions.

2. Define your keep.

Before you begin, first define the parameters regarding what you will keep like useful, loved, or truly necessary. These should align to your above intention.

3. Start small.

One drawer. One shelf. Your phone’s home screen. Small wins build confidence. If that still feels like too much, go smaller.

4. Choose a category.

Instead of tackling an entire closet, try one category at a time — mugs, tote bags, skincare, or notification settings on a single app.

5. Take notice.

What do you reach for without thinking? What tends to sit untouched? Your habits are often clearer guides than any rule about what you “should” or “should not” keep.

6. Sort

Separate items into Keep. Relocate. Sell. Donate.

7. Move forward mindfully

Mindful consumption addresses the root cause of clutter at the source. Before bringing something new into your life, try to ask:

* Do I really need this?

* Do I have space for it, physically and mentally?

* Could I borrow it instead?

* Can I find it secondhand?

These small pauses are powerful. They reduce waste at the source and make the need for future decluttering less frequent and painful.

The decluttering dilemma for the sustainability-minded

Decluttering is emotionally hard. For those of us who care deeply about sustainability, it can feel especially complicated. The question, “Will it end up in a landfill?” can paralyze us from taking action.

If done intentionally, however, decluttering is about restoring ease. And with your values as its beacon, it supports your capacity to care — for yourself, your community, and for the planet.

This is the guiding force of A Good Sort, a professional decluttering, organization, and consulting service rooted in sustainability and intention. A Good Sort supports people who want to reduce physical and digital clutter, lighten their mental load, and make more mindful choices — without judgement or unrealistic expectations.

We are intentional about where your items go. We prioritize reuse and local

redistribution whenever possible rather than disappearing into an overwhelmed donation system where a staggering percentage ends up in landfills or is incinerated.

To date, we have connected donated items to local daycares, schools, animal shelters, libraries, artist exchanges, families in need, and community swap events.

This work isn’t about perfection or pristine spaces. Or about making room for the next shopping haul or for the best Instagram-worthy reel. It’s about alignment — creating room for what matters, in a way that respects both your values and the planet.

As you step into this new year, may your intention be simple and kind: to make room.

Room for rest.

Room for clarity.

Room for what truly supports you.

And if you begin with one drawer, one notification setting, or one thoughtful pause before buying — that’s already a good sort.

If you’re curious about what it might look like to declutter sustainably, A Good Sort is taking shape this winter. Reach out to me at hello.agoodsort@gmail.com to get added to the launch news.