2015: The Year the Mobleys cut the clutter

This is going to be a good year - I just know it!  Especially with the progress we've been making on the house hunt! In the past, I've tried to have a theme for each of my goals to start the New Year. For the Mobleys, 2013 was all about being spontaneous and doing whatever we wanted.  2014 was the year of ZEN and finding peace and relaxation in a crazy New York advertising life.  2015 is the year the Mobleys focus on cutting the clutter...getting and staying ridiculously organized in our lives.  I don't just mean having a clean closet - I'm talking about cutting the clutter... from everywhere!

1.  Cut the clutter from our home - With the house hunt in full swing, and with the last of our days in our New York apartment upon us, I'm committed to getting organized before any move.  I don't want to move anything to our new home that's not necessary & I want to start our lives in a house with a fresh, organized start!  I'll de-clutter within reason though - I don't want to make any irrational decisions.  But a new house brings a blank slate - and I'd rather fill it with love and memories than clutter!

2.  Cut the clutter from our budgets - Being a homeowner requires that you take a closer look at your budget.  Would you rather have that cup of coffee, or put that money towards that new couch that is ridiculously expensive, but you can't imagine your life without it?  Are those shoes more important to you than the closing costs you're going to encounter pretty soon?  This year, I'm vowing to take this seriously.  We're going to go through our finances with a fine toothed comb and be smart about cutting costs where possible.  Looks like I'll have to sacrifice some of my shopping habits in favor of my dream home!

3.  Cut the clutter from our diets - Yep!  We're trimming the fat, literally.  If we end up moving out of the city that means no more access to the endless world of takeout.  No more late night pizza runs.  No more ordering a chicken parm because you can't figure out what else to eat.  We are going to have more planned meals, more home cooking, smaller portions, and more time chatting about each other's day at the dinner table. This goal should help the aforementioned cost cutting too!

When you can't be with some of your friends at midnight...
you FACE TIME them from the restaurant!

4.  Cut the clutter from my inbox - My goal in my inbox for 2015 is to never have a "scroll bar" at the end of every day.  For those of you who know what I'm talking about...it means that you have so many emails in your inbox, that you have to scroll through them.  If you have your inbox clean and clear, there is no scroll bar....because you don't have to sort through too many emails.  It's glorious.  I follow the RFDD model - reply, forward, delegate or delete.  This should keep things manageable & keep my inbox from giving me heartburn every time I sit down to my desk.

5.  Cut the clutter from our minds - This one is a lot less literal, and maybe more difficult.  One of the things that I'm most proud of from last year was the progress I made in my ability to handle stress.  Acupuncture played a role in this, lavender oil played a role in this, yoga might have played a role in this, and maybe turning 30 played a large role.  I still have my panic moments, I still will break down in tears when I just can't do everything, but I'm so much better at compartmentalizing and prioritizing than I was in prior years.  I think this will be key to continue to improve upon for 2015.  Being able to separate my different priorities will be essential for a healthy work/life balance that I want to achieve this year.  My family & my friends are the most important things in my life - and anything that interferes with those precious things is...well, clutter!

Mike and I rang in the New Year in our favorite New York manner - dressed to the nines, with reservations to a festive New York establishment, and among friends.  This has become a NYE staple for us.  We love getting dressed up and starting off the New Year in some snazzy clothes - surrounded by our friends who are such a special part of our lives (we even Face Timed with our favorite new Austinites at our midnight!).  We love when the restaurants bring out the pots and pans, complementary champagne, and noisemakers.  We love leaving the hosting and cleaning for someone else to worry about.  And we love being able to go home and snuggle in our own beds together to start the year.

This year's celebration had an air of peace & satisfaction.  Satisfaction at how gratifying this year has been for us, and peace that we'll be able to take on whatever challenges and excitement 2015 has for for the Mobleys.  We wish you a happy & healthy New Year to your and yours and hope you all were able to start 2015 off with a bang!