As the final hours of 2025 tick away, many Nigerians are looking ahead to the fresh start promised by the new year. However, journalist Anna Ajayi suggests that before drafting ambitious resolutions for 2026, a more practical first step is essential: a thorough decluttering of your physical and digital life.
The Three-Part Strategy for a Lighter 2026
Ajayi's approach, detailed on December 31, 2025, is not about a dramatic life overhaul but a conscious edit. It involves categorising items into three clear groups: those to discard without remorse, those to pass on, and those that can generate much-needed extra income. The core question to ask is: Am I holding onto this out of habit, guilt, or genuine need?
Category 1: Items to Toss Without a Second Thought
This category is for things that have outlived their usefulness and pose no benefit to anyone. Expired items top the list, including old makeup, unused skincare products, medications past their date, and forgotten food lurking in kitchen cabinets. Keeping them is not resourceful; it's simply postponing the inevitable cleanup.
Next are damaged goods you've been "meaning to fix" all year. The charger that only works at a specific angle, the bag with the broken zip, or the shoe with a flapping sole—if you haven't repaired it in 2025, be honest with yourself. You likely won't in 2026 either.
Finally, consider releasing old items tied to past versions of yourself. This includes notebooks filled with abandoned plans, random papers from old jobs or schools, and souvenirs that evoke no real memory beyond guilt for considering their disposal.
Category 2: Worthy Items Deserving a New Home
Not everything you no longer need is trash. Many items can bring value and joy to others. Clothing is a major area here. If an item hasn't been worn all year because it no longer fits your body, lifestyle, or taste, it's a prime candidate for donation.
The same logic applies to books you'll never reread, duplicate kitchen gadgets, unused bags, and shoes kept "just in case." Donating these items isn't about forced minimalism; it's about allowing useful objects to continue their lifecycle with someone who needs them, rather than gathering dust in your space.
Category 3: Idle Assets You Can Convert to Cash
With the current economic climate, selling idle items that retain value is a smart move. This includes old phones in good condition, unused laptops or cameras, replaced home appliances, and furniture taking up space after a move. The proceeds can provide crucial support for rent or savings.
Also consider selling clothes with tags still attached, quality shoes barely worn, and bags from a past style phase. If an item is in good condition, someone will likely buy it. This process helps you stop romanticising possessions based on their past cost and lets them serve your bank account instead.
Don't Forget Digital and Emotional Clutter
The guide emphasises that clutter isn't only physical. Digital clutter—like forgotten phone screenshots, old chat histories, unused apps, and an overflowing email inbox—creates silent mental noise. Clearing this digital space can be as liberating as tidying a room.
Perhaps the most challenging category is emotional items: old messages reread when lonely, gifts from estranged friends, or objects kept to avoid admitting an ending. While this process shouldn't be rushed, acknowledging that some things belong to a closed chapter is healthy. Letting them go can be a deliberate act of moving forward.
As Anna Ajayi concludes, the goal for 2026 isn't necessarily to reinvent yourself. It's to stop carrying unnecessary weight. Every item in your life should earn its place through utility, meaning, or joy. By clearing space, releasing what's finished, and keeping only what matters, you create a solid, uncluttered foundation for whatever the new year may bring.
