My husband and I have lived in our current house for the past 12 years. I remember when we bought this house, we said that we were not going to allow ourselves to accumulate a bunch of “stuff” like we had in our old house. Prior to moving, we had a garage sale and we rented a dumpster.

We did a pretty good job of pitching anything from the garage and basement that hadn’t been used in the past year. Then when we got to our new house, I had another garage sale. So, we really purged. It felt good. We agreed that we were going to keep it that way.

Needless to say, 12 years later, I think we have almost as much “stuff” as we had before we moved here. Time to purge again!

Unfortunately, I think this happens frequently in many parts of our lives. At home, you have closets and garages and drawers and cupboards. In your office you have files and shelves and storage rooms full of unused and unnecessary “stuff”. For most people, all of this “stuff” seems to start weighing you down. Every once in a while you need to take the time to unload some of this “stuff”. It always amazes me how great I feel after I’ve taken the time to clean or organize a closet or file cabinet.

Cheryl Richardson, a well known Life Coach says, “Let go of the old to make way for the new.” Cheryl states that life can't bestow anything new and wonderful upon you without the space. So here are four ideas you might want to consider:

2. Trade Treasures – either get together with friends or plan an activity at work where you can take items to exchange. For instance, books, CDs or DVDs. You may find that what you no longer need, someone else has been wanting.

3. Donate -- This is a great time of year to go through clothes or household items with an eye for sharing the wealth with those in need. We all have things that we no longer use that could be life-changing for someone else. Your old suits or dresses could give someone a new outfit for a job interview. Your used washing machine may be a blessing in a family's life.

4. Release Old Energy -- Go through the files in your office or your contact list and let go of outdated resources, information, or old ideas that didn't go anywhere. Make the space for new business, great opportunities, or more creative ideas that make sense for who you are now.