What is this impulse that never fails to strike me at the beginning of every new year? It’s not just for everyday tidying but for deeper-cleaning and reorganizing.

Of course, it stands to reason that a new year would cry out for better organization. Out with the old; in with the new. One more feeble attempt to control the environment. But I wish this desire wasn’t so strong. I don’t really want to spend time today figuring out a better place to store the waffle-maker, or decluttering the outside of the refrigerator.

So I’m fighting it the best way I know how. With words. Writing about the impulse to clean rather than actually doing it.

Let’s see how long this lasts!

(A Williamsburg shop in need of an 18th-century tidy-up.)