Welcome to Day 1 of the 30 Days to Less of a Hot Mess Challenge! We’re clearing clutter, reorganizing and letting in fresh air to build a home we love. New to the challenge? You may want to begin at the start.
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My I’ve-Had-It Moment
It was one day this fall, and I had just HAD it up to HERE. The stuff everywhere felt like it was about to reach up and choke the life out of me. (And no, it wasn’t election day, but it may have been the 3rd day in a row my kids stayed home sick from school. I had HAD it.)
There was just clutter and mess everywhere I looked.
It may have also had something to do with the fact that I was in the middle of decorating for Christmas, and boxes of decor were everywhere.
But I had this “I’ve had it” moment, and “scorched earth” was steaming from my ears. In that moment I knew I had to get rid of the excess for my own sanity.
Yes, those are all toys strewn around my living room, but what you can’t see is the piles of junk all over the kitchen counters and covering my office floor.
Also, not to mention my girls would both be having birthdays the week before Christmas, and … Christmas!!!! Tons of toys and STUFF were headed my way. If I didn’t clear out some space and quiet the noise, it wasn’t going to bode well for my sanity (or anyone in my home who had to deal with me).
All the extra junk everywhere was making mommy cray cray.
I decided to pick my copy of The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up back up and continue my journey, only on steroids, because I was determined to clear the junk before Christmas. (Related: my first thoughts about The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up)
I had tackled my clothes and shoes before, but honestly, they needed a refresher course.
Here’s the problem. Anything in life needs ongoing pruning to stay healthy.
Our schedules need constant pruning, because every time we say yes, something or someone has to be told no for it to work. We can’t keep saying yes and yes and yes and expect everything to still fit. It will drive us crazy until we sit down, say no to a few things and balance everything out.
The same is true for our homes.
We can’t just keep buying and never send anything back out the door. We have to keep editing so things don’t reach up and choke the life out of us, like I was feeling that day this fall.
Or we have to stop buying. But if we keep buying things, then something has to leave, too!
My sanity and my relationship with my family are too important to be hurt by stuff. I owed it to myself, my husband and my children to clear the clutter and start the new year with a fresh, decluttered, organized space.
And you do too! You deserve a clean, clear space filled only with things you love, appreciate and that bring you joy!
It’s time to start now. Make it your 30-day gift to yourself.
Defining Your Why
As with anything, you need to start with a plan and a goal. I’m the worst at starting something without a plan or goal. I’ll walk around my house with a trash bag and toss a bunch of stuff without a clearly defined next step. I’ll feel better for about a day, and then we’re right back where we started.
I figured out that I need a plan. And before you make any plan, you need to figure out your goal.
And even before those two comes discovering and defining your why.
Discovering your why for decluttering your house will be the motivation to keep going when times get hard and you want to throw in the towel.
I find this incredibly important in my blogging business. I keep my why in the back of my mind all the time: to provide supplemental income for my family so we can enjoy life, our girls can take part in activities like dance and gymnastics, we can take family trips and make wonderful memories, and we can bless others. This is what I have to remember when it’s late and I want to go to bed, but need to finish that last thing.
It’s the same for decluttering. Defining your why is crucial for finishing this task.
The Messy Work: So, today’s goal is to write down your why.
Do you want to declutter your home so you spend less time picking up unnecessary clutter? Maybe you want to come home from a long day at work and feel relaxed instead of even more stressed. Or maybe you want to find things when you need them instead of buying duplicates of what you already have.
Nail down your reason for decluttering (because it will take discipline, fortitude and bravery to finish). Then print it out and make it visible. Tape it to the fridge or the door you use most often. Tape it over your desk or in the front of your planner.
Define your why.
Write it down.
Make it visible.
See you again tomorrow!
Right there in the mess with you, Laura
Ready to find calm in your home again?
You can’t decorate a home full of clutter. Start your decluttering journey with 30 days of encouraging, helpful emails to keep you going!
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