It’s no surprise that one of my favorite things to talk about is decluttering your home. When you clear the clutter, you simplify your life. You create an environment of less so that you can focus more on what actually matters to you.
Trust me when I say, the reward of addressing your clutter is so great! And I really want you to step into this. I want you to feel lighter so you can spend your time and mental energy on bigger and more important things in your life.
I get that the days can feel really full and there are so many things pulling at your time and attention. But honestly, it breaks my heart when I hear a mom say she doesn’t feel great about the state of her home. I know time is precious, but I need you to understand that addressing your stuff is going to give you your time back.
Hear me when I say, decluttering your home does not need to be a huge event, where you block out an entire weekend on your calendar. In fact, I strongly encourage you NOT to do this. I dive deeper into why I don’t like this strategy in my Calm Your Chaos course. I want decluttering to become a lifestyle for you, not a one and done kind of thing. So, when you start to feel stressed about your home, you know exactly what you need to do to get you back to peace.
I want to share with you my really simple 5-step process to help you stop procrastinating, and start taking action on your clutter, even when time is not on your side.
1. FOCUS ON ONE SPACE OR SECTION AT A TIME
When you focus on too much at one time, it’s really easy to get overwhelmed. This state can prevent you from taking any action at all. I want you to stop thinking about an entire room that needs to be decluttered and instead focus on just one section of that room.
If your closet is a disaster zone, don’t focus on the entire closet. Instead, commit to getting through one section before thinking about anything else. If your kitchen is a mess, don’t think about the cabinets, pantry, and counters all at once. Instead, take action on one part of the kitchen before thinking about the next. This mindset shift will make things so much more manageable for you.
2. DECIDE A REALISTIC AMOUNT OF TIME YOU CAN COMMIT TO DECLUTTERING EVERY DAY
The keyword here is realistic. I don’t want you to get super excited and commit to an hour a day. While this may feel really great right now, the reality is, that’s a lot of time and this probably isn’t sustainable long term. So start small. You can always re-evaluate your time, but make it a very doable timeframe.
3. MAKE YOUR DECLUTTER TIME BLOCK A NON-NEGOTIABLE IN YOUR DAY
I can’t stress how important this part is. You have to make your decluttering time block just as important as eating! It has to be a hard commitment that cannot be broken. If you are just starting the decluttering process, I recommend sticking to the same time every day. When I was starting out, I would declutter for 15 minutes right after I put my kids to bed. I knew this was uninterrupted time, and as much as I felt tired from the day, it felt so good to work through a space in my home, so it was worth it to push through. Whatever time you decide on, I want you to commit to it. Don’t lay your head down on your pillow at night until you’ve put your time in.
4. CREATE A REMINDER SYSTEM FOR YOURSELF
Set up some kind of reminder for yourself so you don’t forget your decluttering time block. Let’s be real, life happens and sometimes it’s just easy to forget. So figure out what type of reminder system works best for you and stick to it. It may be an alarm on your phone or a post-it note on your bathroom mirror. Find what works best for you and do that.
5. JUST DO IT
Yes, there will be days where you’re just tired and you don’t feel like taking action, but I want you to work through this. Why? Because you are a doer! I want you to flex this muscle of completing a task and following through. You have to put a hard stake in the sand and decide you are done with feeling blah about your home and you are ready to step into a new season for you and your family. I want you to shift your mindset to the benefits you’re gaining from this process. You are getting your space and time back to focus more on what you want to focus on.
As you’re working through this process, I really want you to focus on progress, not perfection! When you start to get wrapped up in making everything perfect, you’re going to get in your head and quit. This is not an all or nothing process. This is a lifestyle that you are creating for yourself and your family. So let it be that. Stay consistent and own the journey you’re on because it’s an amazing one. I promise you, in time, decluttering your home won’t be something you have to do, it will be something you just do naturally.
Do you get stuck on where to start when you think about decluttering your home? I got you! Let me help you, by walking you through 15 pain point spaces in your home that can be decluttered in 10 minutes or less. Click here to join the 15 Day Declutter Challenge.
