Clean up your act in 2026

FINDLAY — It's the beginning of a new year, a time when many people make resolutions to eat better, drink lots of water and be more careful with their spending. In that spirit, clutter consultant Deb Harvitt presented "Let's Get Started" during her monthly discussion at 50 North recently. Just thinking about dealing with clutter can feel overwhelming, she said. "My car is a disaster. My office is a disaster. I have dishes that I need to do. I have a proposal that I need to write, and I have an invoice I need to send. And I need to do it all right now," said Harvitt. That doesn't even count packing up the Christmas decorations and getting out the Easter décor, she noted. "And I have to go through my closet because I have now made a resolution to get more organized. So now I have to start getting rid of things, and I have to do that right now, too," she said. "That's where the overwhelmed (feeling) comes from." But taking on the entire list all at one time just isn't doable, according to Harvitt. She said you need to set priorities. The first step that works best for her when she's feeling overwhelmed is writing down everything. "I have said that to people and have them say, it would take a whole notebook. I don't care. Use a whole notebook," she said. "It's what one of my friends calls a 'brain dump.'" If the list is too much to deal with, Harvitt suggested narrowing it down to the tasks that need to be done this week such as paying bills, going to a doctor's appointment and buying groceries. Put a little mark or line next to those items, she said. You can then refer to the master list or make a new list with just that week's errands on a second piece of paper. "But what happens when I look at my list for the week and I'm overwhelmed again? What we do is pick out the most important one and we go from there," she explained. "The whole goal of this is not to come to the end of the week and still have everything on that list." Focus on one entry at a time, she said. When that chore is finished, move to the next one. And if, while you're working on something and your brain goes off in other directions and you can't figure out what to do next, take a break. "Go do something else," Harvitt said. "You could do something else off the list or you can go have a cup of coffee, cup of tea, play a game on your phone for 10 minutes and then you're done." Another suggestion that may help is finding an accountability partner. "You can call or text them if you need to and say, 'I washed my dishes.' And they will say 'Good job.' That sounds ridiculous to some of us. But to others of us who have had days or weeks when we just didn't want to deal with the dishes. And now suddenly every dish we own is piled on the counter, dirty, so we need to hear it," she said. Harvitt has a system in place in her own home so she knows where things should go. "It can go be put away and it can be done," she said, "So once the system is in place, it's much easier to maintain." Harvitt started her business, De-Clutter with Deb, in 1999. One area involves helping people eliminate the things they don't need. "My thought is for everything in your house, ask yourself, do I need it? The answer should be yes or no, I don't need it, I don't use it. But do I love it? Yeah, a grandkid made it for me, whatever, I love this," she said. If the answer to both questions is no, she said, then why is it taking up space in your house? "Usually, the number one answer is because somebody I love gave it to me, and I can't let it go," said Harvitt. "We have to get over that." Sometimes people hang onto items like books, clothes, cooking gadgets and craft supplies for the person they're hoping to one day be - not who they are now or have been in the past, she said. "I'm going to be the person who wears that outfit that I bought with my best friend, who's taste is very different from mine and I've never put it on," she said. "Or I'm going to learn to cook so they buy all the things to learn to cook and they sit in the cupboard in boxes." Those things can remind you that haven't become that person which can be frustrating, Harvitt said. "Let it go. Send it out in the world. Maybe someone else can use it," she said. Harvitt leads a discussion from 10-11 a.m. on the first Tuesday of each month at 50 North, 339 E. Melrose Ave. Each month will feature a different topic and tips to help people declutter and simplify. February's theme is "Downsizing can be HARD!" In March, participants will discuss "Which Organizing 'System' is Right for Me?" Classes are free, but registration is required. Members may register online. Call 419-423-8496 to become a 50 North member.