Decluttering Our Farmhouse | Motivation to Simplify Your Home
I’ve said in the past, and I’ll say it again cause I am. not ashamed to say it, I love things. I love being surrounded by tons of electic stuff that not only serves a purpose but brings me a level of cozy I can only find with objects. Maybe it’s a childhood thing or something else. Regardless I love things but I’m constantly decluttering.
For a managable cozy lifestyle.
However, a cluttered home can cause stress, anxiety and feelings of overwhelmness. We’ve all be there at one point or another, feeling as though our belongings are closing in aournd us, both pysicallay and mentally.
The idea of decluttering can be intimidating, and is a struggle for us to begin.
In this post, I’m sharing with you my tips on various strategies and techinuqes to help you unlock your motivation and declutter your home.
Benefits of decluttering
A huge benefit of decluttering is reducing stress and anxiety. Ever have one of those nights were you think, “Alright, I”m gonna leave the dishes in the sink and deal with in the morning.” only to think about it all night long! (I’m rasing my hand)
When you’re surrounded by clutter it is hard to relax.
By decluttering, you create a sense of peace in your home that helps you to relax and tap into that cozy feeling you love.
When my home is decluttered and organized, I feel so calm. It makes leaving for work and school much easier and makes me feel as though I’ve accomplished something.
Identify your decluttering motivation
The first step to get motivatved to declutter your home is to plan out what you want to accomplish. When you tackle something monsterous with a plan it lowers the feeligns of being overwhelmed and quitting before you get started.
Set clear goals
Decide specifical what you want to achieve. Do you want to declutter your entire house or a specifc area? Knowing what you want to accomplish will help you stay focused. Also think about why you’re doing this? Are you doing it for your family? Or perhaps your kids are older and they have toys and clothes they don’t use anymore.
When I set goals for my decluttering, I begin in one room and move on to the next. My goal is to do this through out the year or sometimes in a weekend.
When I tackle my son’s room, I go through difficult emtions.
I reminise on when he was a baby, then a toddler and so on. Getting rid of his things kind of makes me feel as though I’m getting rid of those moments.
But, as I do this I come up with some DIY sewing projects for his old tee shirts and I feel good knowing his toys will go to a child who otherwise wouldn’t have them.
That’s my motivation to move past my nastalgic hangups.
Visulalize your living space
Close your eyes and visualize your space, clutter fee and oraganized. Envision the cozy vibes, the order, the sense of mental realxing. Use that mental image as motivation.
Avoid cramming things behind close doors, like closets or rooms you don’t use. Otherwise you’re only moving yoru mess from one place to antoher, and that isn’t very productive. Working on your areas bit by bit gives you long-term solutions rather than appyling a band-aid to it.
List the benefits
Write down what you’re hoping to gain from decluttering. This will help you to remember your “why”. Some of the things I write down are I want my home to feel good, or I want to feel comfortable in my own home.
Keeping the list of my benefits handing keeps me motivated to continue delcuttering and keeping my eye on the prize.
Create a vision board
Some of use need visual representation for our decluttering goals, some of us find it overwhelming. So follow this tip with caution. If you’re cutting images from magazines or looking on Pintrest for inspriation you may find yourself trying to live up to the image you see. Which, meaning well, can kill your motivation before you get started.
However, a vision board can be inspirational as well. Knowing how you want things to look. By having an idea, you hold on to the motivation to keep going.
Overcoming decluttering motivation challenges
Decluttering can be challening for. alot of reasons. Such as mine that I mentioned above, letting go of my son’s time as a baby. Here are some obsticals I’ve faced in the past and how I’ve overcome them.
Establishing a System
Too often I’ll spend more time on the planning and visual board that I quiet before I get started. I’ve found that if I create a simple system, like tackling one room or house level at a time then it’s easay for me to get started.
In the past I’ve tried in corporating carts, baskets and other forms of “organizing” tools. and while those work for the first week or so, soon things in say the pantry for example return to the clutter I tried to demolish.
To fix this, I have my children help me orgaize the pantry, as they help me put things away they give me imput on where they want thier snacks to be and it gives them the chance to learn the system.
Managing my decluttering this way helps to ensure I succeed.
Procrastinating
TIP: break your decluttering tasks in to small chunks. Set a time for 15-30 minuest and work on decluttering on area at time.
Sentimental Attachment
TIP: When dealing with the sentimental itmes you could do as I have and make a quilt out of some of the old clothes, or take photos of them before letting them go. This way you can continue to hold on to the. memories but not the clutter.
When it comes to my kids’ artwork, I only keep the ones they are really proud of, seasonal itesm they bring home from school only gets a shelf life of that season then after a snap of photo they get recycled. they are happy and I’m happy.
Decision paralysis
TIP: create a bin with the lables “keep”, “donate” and “discard” to make the choice easier. I find it easier to place items in the donate bin when I think about who might recieve the itmes.
During the winter months I donate lots of blankets and jackets to women’s shelteres and orphanages, I find this to be a great motivator to help me let go of baby blankets and jackets I love.
When you separate the destinations into categories it makes sorting super simple. You can easily toss thigns into boxes and take them where they need to go without having to think further on them.
Overwhelming mess
TIP: Start small, and with a less cluttered area to build momentum. Onces you begin to see progress you become inspired to tackle other spaces.
Set a timer and work on one area at a time for 20 mintues. Little by little progress will me made and it won’t feel so overwhelming.
Getting motivated to declutter you home is a personal and continous journey. When you understand the beenfits to your metal and emotanl well being you take the frist step towads being motivated. Using effective strategies, you can transform your living space into the clutter-free haven you’re dreaming about.
Remember decluttering isn’t a once and done task, but. an on going process. Embrace the process and enjoy the cozy you’ve created with your decluttered home.
Thank you for stopping by and allowing. meto share with you my insights into decluttering your home. I hope this inspires you to find the motivation you need to declutter and create your own cozy paradise. Comment below on the tips you found useful or tips that have helped you before. I’d love to hear your stories.
Christina
