Is this the year? Will you finally begin to go through the boxes, piles, and pictures that are cluttering your cabinets and crowding your closets? While there are some mental health benefits to waxing nostalgically over long ago memories and faded photos, chances are there’s also some anxiety about the prospect of tackling what may be a decades-in-the-making task of getting rid of items you no longer need.

In a recent interview in The Guardian, writer and “declutterer” Sally Walford suggests that you take it slow and develop strategies toward reigning in the clutter. She’s got her “1 in and 2 out” rule for getting rid of older items as you purchase new ones, and she suggests you create the inevitable piles of keep, give away, revisit or sell on eBay as you go through your possessions. Never sold an item on eBay before? You may want to take a look at this tutorial of how to do so here. But maybe, think twice before you sell or give away the old typewriters in your attic. Finally, what about all your old photos- you certainly won’t sell them but they likely take up a lot of room inside their albums or shoe boxes. For suggestions of how to tackle this task, take a look at this recent Washington Post article.

For those who are exploring or entering retirement, decluttering may go hand-in-hand with downsizing and moving, or contemplating a more limited or efficient household budget. So, in addition to selling items that no longer bring you pleasure or have no place in your anticipated new surroundings, you’ll also need strategies for developing more mindful spending habits while pursuing meaningful activities. For some sound advice about doing both, push aside those boxes of giveaways, and read here.