For me, one of the most challenging aspects of homemaking for me is keeping control of all the clutter. Let’s face it: time is a precious commodity, which means decluttering your home can feel like a challenge you don’t want to undertake. It’s overwhelming, and to be honest, I avoid it like the plague at times. Still, even I realize decluttering is important because it can really help to make your space feel more organized, which does great things for your mental wellbeing and your readiness to show hospitality to others.
With spring just around the corner and with it the itch to spring clean, this busy mom’s guide to decluttering and simplifying your life, might just help you as much as I hope it will help me!
Set realistic goals
First and foremost, you’re a busy mom, so the time and energy you have available to declutter your home is going to be limited. Also, as you declutter one room, your kids will probably be working to fill another, and let’s not even go into the avalanche of paper that piles up from art projects and schoolwork. So, first and foremost, you need to give yourself some grace and set some realistic goals. Setting realistic goals will keep you from feeling defeated and overwhelmed and will make the mountain of clutter seem manageable and help you avoid trying to do too much too quickly.
Keep to a timeline but set goals that are realistic and fit into your existing schedule. Also, ask for help. Two years ago, I found myself faced with hosting my family’s holidays, and I had a dining room full of clutter. I was frozen by overwhelm so I reached out to a dear friend who helped me tackle the biggest problem: homeschool books without a home. She sorted and organized and served me with such love. My dining room is still in order, and I thank God for her every time I go in it.
Assess the Mess
It’s important to assess the mess when you’re decluttering your home. In our homeschool, we often follow a simple rule: do the hard things first. That’s a good idea for decluttering, too. It’s always worth starting on the rooms you would rather do last. It works kind of like a snowball. Once you get rolling, it’s easier to keep going.
Tackle one room at a time
When you’re decluttering your home as a busy mom, tackle each room individually. Trying to do multiple rooms at once is often where I go wrong because I tend to get only halfway done before I move on. It also makes it more tempting to avoid the rooms that overwhelm me. Take one room at a time, finish the task, then sit down in the clean space with a cup of coffee and enjoy the space.
Decide what to donate, sell or discard
When you’re decluttering, you want to split things into four categories. The first is what you’re going to keep in the space. The rest will be what you intend to discard, what you want to sell, and what could be donated.
By splitting it up, you’ll end up being a lot more efficient in your decluttering process. Anything you do keep and that you don’t want in the home, could be put into storage units for the time being.
Get the rest of the household involved – kids included
Finally, make it a fun thing that every member of the household can get involved with – kids included. Providing they can tidy up after themselves, they can prove to be a vital part of decluttering the house and keeping it clean. It also teaches them how to keep control of clutter and will keep you from feeling like you’re in the battle by yourself.
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