Why 2026 Might Be the Year We Finally Use the “Good Stuff”
In homes across the country, behind cabinet doors and tucked into dresser drawers, live some of the most well-behaved items you’ll ever meet: the good dishes that never see daylight, the outfit waiting for the elusive perfect occasion. They sit patiently, year after year, like understudies who have memorized all the lines but never get called on stage.
As a professional home organizer and certified KonMari Consultant, I’ve spent so much time inside these closets and cupboards, and I’ve noticed a pattern—one that’s both tender and surprisingly universal. So many people are postponing their joy. Not intentionally. Not dramatically. Just… quietly. They’re saving their beautiful things for “someday,” a day that often remains permanently penciled in but never circled.
And here’s the part that aligns so deeply with the KonMari method: this work is not simply about tidying—it’s about intentionally choosing what supports the life you want to live today. Joy isn’t something we’re meant to defer until our homes, our schedules, or ourselves feel more “ready.” The KonMari philosophy invites us to engage with our belongings now, to let them serve us now, and to experience everyday delight instead of waiting for a perfect version of a day that may never arrive.
That’s why I’m declaring 2026 the year of living with intention, using the nice things, and embracing joy in every way.
Every January, I release a challenge to help people reset their homes and habits. I’ve had random challenges, “10 Weeks of Tidying,” and “The 30-Day Declutter.” But this year, I felt pulled toward something gentler. Something deeper. Something less about discarding and more about appreciating.
And the more I thought about what “gentler” truly means, the more I realized it shows up in the everyday stories I see with clients—the moments when people quietly hold themselves back from enjoying what they already own, simply because they feel they haven’t “earned” it yet.
Take my client J, smart, kind, wildly capable and the proud owner of eight brand-new (expensive) linen napkins that had never once graced a table. Why? Because she was “saving them for when she hosts a fancy dinner party.” She wants to be a napkin person. She longs to feel like a napkin person. But she felt she should wait until she hosted a dinner party worthy of them.
When we found the napkins still in their original packaging, she laughed and shook her head. She’d had them for years. “This is ridiculous,” she said. She opened up the package and declared: “I’m using these tonight. Even if it’s just leftovers.”
She did! And she later texted me to report that the leftovers tasted better. (They didn’t, technically. She just felt more present—and yes, a little fancy.)
My favorite story might be from P, who kept a stunning sapphire dress she’d bought for “future events.” She imagined wearing it when she felt more confident, or when her schedule magically cleared, or when life, as she put it, “felt more put-together.”
But life, being life, refused to coordinate itself neatly around a dress.
After we reorganized her closet, she slipped it on “just to see.” It fit perfectly and truly sparked joy. She decided to wear it to lunch the following week with a friend. It wasn’t a fancy restaurant, just their local meeting spot, but she wore the dress anyway. P later told me felt great and she questioned why she’d let it sit in the closet for years. This was not the first time I’d heard this tale, and likely won’t be the last.
The 2026 Challenge: Today Is Someday
All this is why, in lieu of another intense decluttering challenge, I’m inviting people into something more joyful for 2026: a year-long practice of living fully in the present.
Each month, I’ll release a simple intention and a printable reminder—a little visual prompt you can tape to your fridge, make into your phone wallpaper or send to a friend who’s also been holding onto the “special” stuff for far too long.
If you want to follow along, you can join me on social media (@simplesanctuaryhomeorg) or email me directly (mk@simplesanctuaryhomeorganization.com). I’ll happily send you each month’s prompt—no sign-ups, no lists, no inbox clutter. Just one intention at a time.
Not every month will be about using objects. Some will nudge you toward small experiences. But the heart of the challenge is this: stop waiting for perfect. Perfect is a phantom. What we have today—this moment—is real.
A year of intention, gratitude, and everyday joy
My own resolution is simple: Live with intention. Laugh as much as possible. And enJOY every single day.
Because this is going to be the year. And today is someday.