One of the best ways to start off a new year is to make space for more joy, harmony and hygge in your life and this can begin by decluttering your home of all the things that have been taking up space in the past year (or more).

Danish Hygge is about caring, and when we do not care for our surroundings, clutter begins to spread its way into our lives, and hygge is no longer a possibility. The key concept for Danish Hygge is to enjoy life in peace and harmony.

Once you know what you appreciate, where your stuff is, and can understand the difference between what is good and what is bad for you to own, you will be free to enjoy the life that you truly deserve.

I am not advocating that our homes should be so tidy that it is no longer obvious who lives there. Of course, a home should clearly declare who it was that created it. Otherwise, instead of being a home, it would just be a place. A home must reflect the best aspects of who lives there; otherwise, you and your home are not really connected.

Our home is the place where we gather energy. It is where we relax, enjoy ourselves, and spend most of our time. It should, therefore, bring us the best of the best. Home should be our breathing space, where we just enjoy being. This is why you need to put an end to your clutter. Clutter brings you nothing of value; on the contrary, it only makes things worse.

Try to imagine that you could listen to your clutter. Imagine that is sounds like a discordant orchestra, with each musician playing his own distorted sound, or it might sound like a radio that is only able to receive 35 radio stations at the same time. Help. You would probably hurry up and leave. This is what your clutter does to you. You cannot hear it, but you can feel it.

You might be able to ignore this jarring feeling, but it is still there, lurking in your subconscious. It makes you want to escape your home just to get away from your clutter. But, do not try to escape. Do not give your mess the power to determine your whereabouts.

You need to make your home into a place where you enjoy being. Just as it is important to love your daily life, you should be able to love living it in your home.

And by cleaning up and prioritizing your time so that you can keep yourself organized every day, you will find that you have much more time for fun and Hygge. And that’s what we all really want!

If you want to find out how to easily declutter your home the Danish way, check out my book, Goodbye Clutter, Hello Freedom.

I wish you all much joy and hygge for 2018!