Having a home that’s comfortable and organized is intimately related to your well-being and how you approach life every day. That is the truth! I have been working through a year-long health and wellness course, and one of the 12 aspects to be looked at in this process of achieving health and wellness is to consider your home environment. This is the area of health, that I need to put some effort right now. It is important to declutter your home to declutter your life. Make your home your healthy haven with these tips.
If you have followed my blog for some time, then you know that this was also my focus in 2016. Crazy that five years have transpired since then! Since that time, we have also moved and downsized our home. Our new place is roughly half of the square footage of our prior home. We lost a lot of space and storage area with that move. Decluttering and organizing has become even more important. While all of our children are mostly out of the home (we still have one away at school), they tend to leave a lot of belongings at home!
So where do we start? Decluttering and organizing your home is about finding balance and peace in your life. Clutter causes stress and chronic stress is harmful to your health. Look at this process as one step to improving your health.
Declutter Your Home to Declutter Your Life
First, look around. How does your home look and feel to you? Are items on tables and furniture surfaces neatly arranged with plenty of empty space around them? Are you pleased with the selection of wall art and table décor?
What feelings do you experience when you sit in each room and survey the area? Tranquil and relaxed? Uncomfortable or anxious to leave the room?
Contemplate if you’d like to alter any specific areas in each room. If you have too many figurines arranged on a side table, it might appear over-loaded or messy. Do you have space on tables for your electronic tablet, books, and beverage glass or cup? If so, maybe you feel pleased and satisfied with how you’ve arranged the items.
Finish this sentence: “Regarding the furniture and arrangement of personal items in my home, it would make me happier if ____________ .” Maybe you’d like to remove some furniture because over the years you’ve squeezed in too many pieces.
Focus on how you feel in the room and what would make you feel better. For example, you’ve always hated entering your spare bedroom because you’re now using it as a “dumping ground” for items you don’t know what to do with. You feel defeated as soon as you walk in the room.
Gain clarity about how you can best free your home of clutter. A pleasing result will be greater feelings of peace, comfort, and freedom within you.
Embrace the idea of getting rid of unused and worn out items. Open your mind to the possibilities of what your home will be like whenever you discard unneeded items. You’ll have more rooms for things you enjoy. You’ll experience a sense of “newness.” You might feel more relaxed as well.
A side benefit of cleaning out each room is how contented you’ll feel that items not currently being used might be appreciated by someone else. Box items and clothing to drop off at the Salvation Army, Goodwill, or other charitable organization. Experience the positive feelings of giving to others.
Allow yourself to daydream about what it will be like when the bedroom is clear of clutter. You’ll sleep better. It’ll be easier to clean now that there’s less “stuff” to clean around. You’ll experience deeper sleep due to decreased dust lingering in the room.
Work on one room at a time. Rather than becoming overwhelmed with feelings about how much you have to do, commit to declutter your home over the long haul. Do something each day to get rid of items or organize things you want to keep. Your mental health is worth preserving. Unclutter your home bit by bit.
I will be starting my our master bedroom and spending just a small bit of time each day to cleaning out clutter and reorganizing our belongings. I am not scheduling weekend decluttering time. I already spend time on my weekends cleaning my home, plus those days can be used for catch-up or get a bit ahead time of decluttering.
Even though you didn’t realize the clutter you had in your home, taking a good look in each room will help open your eyes to it. Think about changes you want to make. Ask yourself what would make you happy related to your surroundings.
You can print out a copy of this calendar by clicking here: January 2021 Organization Calendar
Less stuff means… less to clean, less to organize, less to store, and less mess.
I will be sharing how this process is going throughout the week on my Positively Stacey Facebook page. If anyone else wants to join me – we can help hold each other accountable, and share any tips and tricks that we discover along the way. The 12 month plan will include all the rooms in our home. I imagine the kitchen, office, photos, and garage will take most of the time. Which is exactly why I am not starting in one of the bigger/tougher areas. I need to feel success in small bits in order to feel like I am making a difference.
Get excited about ridding yourself of unnecessary stuff. Daydream about the results you want and then produce them, one room at a time. If you declutter your home, you’ll give yourself the precious gift of an uncluttered life, less stress, and better overall health!
One way to declutter your home is to create a system. This can include specific days of the week for certain tasks, such as cleaning or organizing, and putting everything into its rightful place. You may also want to establish specific “recycle bins” for clothes, furniture, electronics, and other household items. When it’s time to discard something, put it in the appropriate bin instead of just letting it pile up on the floor or closet.
Decluttering your home is a great way to declutter your life. It’s also a great way to take a break from your busy day. However, on top of the psychological benefits of decluttering your home, cleaning up can enhance your home’s value. If you’re willing to do a little work, you can increase how much you can get for your home.