Motherhood is a daily battle of managing the time to finish laundry, make meals, drive the kids to extracurricular activities, and on top of it all – keep the house tidy. While the to-dos may seem never-ending, and days feel as though they’re cut short, a routine to declutter can add a feeling of structure and peace to busy days.
Minimalism may seem impossible as you organize your kids’ closets and the piles of mismatched socks inside. But there are a few simple tips that make less feel like more, and organization a breeze. Whether you’re downsizing your home or simply trying to manage piles of paperwork, declutter your home using these five tips to keep your sanity – not the mess.
- Set Your Priorities: Let’s face it. As a mom, you probably don’t have time to tackle your entire house in one go. You’ll have to work through different rooms, or even pile by pile to get things accomplished. Set a priority list for decluttering. Take time to reflect on what’s working for you, what’s not, and what makes you feel happy. Identify where your home could be creating a source of stress, and begin item by item in the most stressful area to generate the most positivity out of your endeavors. Schedule 30-minute sessions in your calendar to accomplish one thing at a time in increments to make the task more manageable.
Follow A Structure: Create ‘keep’ and ‘toss’ rules when going through your items. Make sure your rules have no grey area or room for questioning the process. Following a simple flowchart will help make organization decisions easier and more succinct for the whole family.- Enlist The Whole Family: Find the biggest task on your list and take a few hours one day to get the whole family involved. Create a game out of decluttering and make a point system. For every item, you put in the ‘toss’ pile, add a point. For every item, you keep, subtract a point. Separate into teams, and let the games begin!
- Communicate Value: If you’re decluttering with your family, explain the value of sentimental objects. If there’s no family tie to the item, consider explaining how each thing can provide for service to other members of the community if they were donated versus kept in a toy box and unused.
- Declutter The “Busy” Feeling: Beyond the ‘stuff’ decluttering is about clearing your head. Think of other ways you can simplify your life. Do the kids need to go to every birthday party? Could you get a housekeeper or a gardener for the task that is least enjoyable to you? Can the kids take on a little more responsibility as they get older? Create a culture where ‘busy’ is not celebrated, rather important life goals are regarded as the main effort behind the to-dos.
Once your home is free of clutter, you’ll feel not only a sense of pride but you’ll enjoy the simplicity of your everyday. No matter where you’re starting, mom, small steps or big steps are better than no steps at all.
