Great time to declutter before the new year @kaylinart! I've been decluttering of late and find that my mind also gets decluttered in the process, as you say life indeed becomes simpler. This has been my 86 year old mom's mantra for many many years and she's a wise old soul! She's taught me to rather give stuff away that I rarely, if ever, use!
I hope many steemians declutter before 2018 after reading your post, they will feel so much lighter!