At the end of 2022, I was taking a hard look at where my stress was coming from in my life. What I slowly realized was how much clutter affected my brain space. I found that physical clutter was causing mental clutter, which in turn was causing me some anxiety. I was having a hard time figuring out where to start, quickly got overwhelmed, and eventually just felt paralyzed into never starting. I read a really amazing book, “Cozy Minimalist Home: More Style, Less Stuff” by Myquillyn Smith. Game changer. She gives some really practical tips, but also gave me the permission I needed to still have a cozy feeling home, just with less STUFF. Order yours here.
Here are some tips from me that I learned from Myquillyn and myself along the way!
Start small. Don't try to tackle a whole room in one day. Instead, focus on one area or one type of clutter and work your way up. As someone who has a VERY hard time taking it slow or small, this was something I learned quickly. Giving myself some grace to get it done a little at a time. The whole house couldn’t be done in a day, or a week.
Create a plan. Before you begin to declutter, make a plan of where you will start, how long you will spend on it each day, and what you will do with all the clutter you collect. I planned it out due to the layout of our home. I knew I would have people in our main living area, so places I could do and shut a door on were where I started until I had time to have a little chaos in our open spaces.
Donate or sell items. If you don’t need an item, consider donating it or selling it. This will help keep clutter from piling up and will also help someone else in need. My biggest tip here - put it immediately in a bag or box and don’t ever take it back out (or let your children see them haha). Once you decide, move on.
Use storage containers. If you decide to keep something, use storage containers to organize it. This will make it easier to find items when you need them and will help keep your home looking clutter-free.
Make it a habit. Once you've decluttered your home, take the time to maintain it. Take a few minutes each day to put away items and keep the clutter from piling up again. We have started doing a 10 minute family pick up before bed every night. I have also made myself and my family a chart for how we will keep the house clutter free during the week. I have a downloadable template, here , if you are interested in customizing your own! The rule is I ONLY spend 30-45 minutes each day on these rooms, that way I don’t end up spending all day and that gives me a timeframe to bust it out and be done with it quickly.
I hope that you find this helpful. I know that my brain space is freeing up quickly as we work through the house room by room. Give yourself permission to have the calm, cozy home that you have always wanted!