Do you ever feel overwhelmed at the thought of decluttering your home? I used to feel that all the time. I still feel like that about certain areas of my home.
I’m over on my blogging friend Tanya’s blog writing about 3 Easy Steps to Declutter Your Home (and 7 Surprising Benefits).
Here’s the beginning of the post:
Decluttering your home can have so many benefits. But if we’re honest, we’ll admit that it’s hard to do on a regular basis and it can be overwhelming! This post is for those of you who (like me) don’t find decluttering or organizing a natural skill.
Why I Started Decluttering My Home
Two years ago I started decluttering my home in a very intentional way. I was in a time of transition with my youngest son starting full days of school. I work three days a week outside the home, but the two days that I had at home during the week were not spent doing volunteer work or writing as I envisioned.
I found myself spending those new found hours picking up, doing laundry, and trying to create order out of the chaotic spaces in our home. Not exactly how I wanted to spend those days.
I resolved back then to make some changes. I was going to clear out the clutter that had been accumulating for the ten years that we lived in our current home.
It was not an easy task.
It was an enlightening task. (Really…stick with me)
It’s still not over.
I’ve learned many things over the past two years, but one of them is that decluttering is never over. It will get easier, however, as you have less stuff and figure out a regular schedule for decluttering.
If you have a ton of stuff to go through and feel overwhelmed, or if you have no extra energy to give to decluttering, I want to encourage you with these small steps to declutter your home.
Defining Clutter
This seems like a silly thing to define, but it’s important to clarify. Clutter is defined differently for each person because every person values and uses different items. Clutter CAN be defined, however, as:
- things that are not being used in the present
- things that are not loved and used or displayed in the present
- things that are being saved for “someday”
Ever since moving to college, I’ve become more aware of the physical clutter in my life. I was excited to move out of my room in my house, leave all that clutter behind, settle into an empty dorm room, and work off that blank slate.
But last year I moved off campus into my own apartment, which I’m staying in for another year (making it two years), and I’ve already noticed things starting to accumulate. I have so many clothes that are saved for “someday!” But something that I have gotten good at is not buying random trinkets whilst travelling. Blogging has really helped me save experiences rather than things. I liked your tip about maintaining one clutter free surface. For me, that’s my desk 🙂 -Audrey | Brunch at Audrey’s
It’s so hard to keep things minimal when you stay put in one place. Things just slowly accumulate – “clutter creep” I like to call it. A clear desk is awesome isn’t it?