We all want home to be our safe place, our sanctuary, a place to unwind and connect with the ones we love. Research has shown that our homes matter when it comes to our happiness and our stress level. When we come home to an uncluttered space where we have what we need, what we use, and what we love; we are better able to find peace and connect with the ones under our roof and in our community. The New Year has come and gone, but I love to take on a few challenges in the spring.
Here are 5 Doable Challenges for a Decluttered Home.
5 Doable Challenges for a Decluttered Home
Tackle the achilles heel of your home
What is a spot in your home that causes the most stress? Your entryway? A bedroom? The kitchen? We tend to go for easy wins when it comes to tackling spaces, which many times makes sense. But, let’s change things up, make some real progress, and tackle a pain point. To find out what space this is for you, ask yourself: What space in our home, if it functioned well, would help the rest of our home function well? Your gut is also helpful on this one. Set aside some time and tackle this space and then pay attention to the ripple affects.
Brain dump your project wish list
Most of us could make a pretty long list of projects to do around the house. I’m raising my hand. Sit down with a pen and sheet of paper and list all the decluttering projects you would like to do if given infinite amount of time. Don’t leave anything out. Walk away from the list for 24 hours and then come back. What things stick out to you as most important? What project would move the needle forward for getting your home closer to the sanctuary feel you crave? Circle your top three projects and put them on the calendar to tackle.
Play the numbers game
Sometimes we just need to see things moving out of our home at a rapid pace. I’ve been there before and it always makes me happy. Make a goal for getting X amount of items out of your home. Give yourself a timeframe to accomplish your goal. For example, once I decluttered 465 things in a month. I decluttered one thing on the first day of the month, two things on the second day of the month and so on. Or, you could simply pick a number like 200 and declutter items until you have reached that number. This is a fun challenge to do with a friend and an easy way to clear some major clutter.
Choose one space to keep decluttered
We all have a space we congregate in to hang out and connect. The living room or kitchen are the spaces that come to mind. Choose the one most used by your people and make a commitment to simplify it and keep it simplified for a period of time. Maybe your crew hangs out around the kitchen island after school each evening. Keep out only the necessities, clear the clutter, and make space for your people to connect and do whatever it is you like to do there.
For our family, it’s our living room. Keeping our living room simplified helps us use it the way we want to. The kids can build magnatile cities and trade Pokemon. We can read books together and watch movies as a family in this space easily because it is decluttered and simple. We reset the living room each night as a family to be sure it’s ready for the following day. Decluttering one space and keeping it that way with daily resets can help your family have the space it needs to function well.
Commit to resets
A kitchen or living room reset each evening makes for a good morning. A reset can entail whatever makes the room function well for your family. I mentioned our family does a small living room reset each evening. Our family also resets the kitchen before bed. Countertops are wiped down, the big kids put dishes away, and my husband lays out things for breakfast. This ensures a smooth start each morning. What space in your home could use a reset each evening to make for a smooth start to the day? Commit to not hitting the hay until your chosen space is ready for the following day.
When it comes to decluttering and keeping a functional home, deciding what you should focus your attention on is key. Choose one challenge or make up your own and see where it takes you. I am going to slowly work through a few of these challenges over the next month to get my home ready for spring. What challenge will you tackle?