I found the following on a Seventh Generation bulletin. (I was cleaning out old emails.)

With each new year comes the inevitable urge to purge. After all, who doesn't feel better when they've found a place for everything and everything's in its place? I've reached a point where I'm looking at the bigger picture, decluttering not just my home office and closets, but my life. As author Barbara Hannah Grufferman advises, it's the only way to become unstuck and make room for whatever lies ahead.
"Ask yourself what you want your life to look like over the next few years," Grufferman writes, "and you'll come up with a vision for your future, which will be your personal theme. Once you have your theme, you can work on getting rid of everything in your life that doesn't fit the theme, and you will be prepared to let go of the clutter."
According to Grufferman, who cites organization and time-management guru Julie Morgenstern as her inspiration, there are different kinds of clutter in our lives -- not just objects but obligations, habits and, yes, people. "People can be just as de-energizing and draining as piles of newspapers and magazines," she writes. "If there's someone in your life who drags you down whenever you see her...maybe it's time to reconsider the relationship." Granted, sometimes a complete break isn't an option. If that's the case, Grufferman advises figuring out a way to minimize the amount of time you spend together. When it comes to shedding objects, she suggests that after we pick the treasures we want to keep, we decide what to give away, sell, recycle, or donate and then do it.
Grufferman is talking about detoxifying and downsizing, key guiding principles of the green movement. She allows that this is a lifelong quest, and I know it won't always be easy for me. But if it helps make the rest of the ride I started in Greeley, Colorado, that much smoother, it will be worth it.   – Beth Arky

My computer screen had gotten so cluttered it told me to get lost this morning. So I restarted it and proceeded to find new ways to hold on to things and de-clutter the poor thing! Time for a reading break!