Throughout our lives, we receive gifts and collect items. Whether it is from a vacation, retail therapy, your birthday or hand-me-downs, we accumulate a lot of stuff! It piles up and consumes our living space each day. Think about your junk drawer or the to-do list pile on your desk, the back of your closet or even your pantry. There is so much that we do not utilize and yet we still continue to shop for useless items.
Chances are, 80% of your junk draw is trash or has another place it belongs. If you haven’t been maintaining your clean home groove, your living space may start to feel a little disorderly. A cluttered or chaotic space can cause anxiety. Getting your stuff in order gives you a pleasant feng shui, which is like a positive energy flow.
Most of us have a busy life juggling kids, school, a relationship, friends, work or whatever other million things you have on your plate. The last thing you want to do is add cleaning your entire home to the list. Don’t. Do not overwhelm yourself. There is no need to turn your house upside down, lose sleep or forget to shave your left leg because your brain has turned into jello. Relax and watch some Netflix.
The plan is to find small projects weekly, monthly, or whatever routine you can handle. I personally love to do these projects on Sundays. I let the sun shine through the windows, play Alabama Shakes on my speakers, light some incense and get to work. I make the process feel therapeutic. I always have a little box tucked away to fill up; my goal is to fill it throughout the month and donate it. I also have the “out of sight, out of mind” mentality of old belongings. Unless they are sentimental or something of use, throw it away or put it in the donate pile. Now, the “does this bring you joy?” question for each item is not always relevant. My hammer doesn’t bring me joy (that would probably be a red flag) but I need it. However, the ugly snowman candy dish from 2011 can probably find a new home.
Organizing your items in a way that they can all be seen is brilliant. Marie Kondo’s method uses shoeboxes as dividers and folds shirts in a way that you can view them all instead of digging around and unfolding everything by accident, to find what you need. Personally, I love using baskets to add another shelf to a surface, such as a desk or end table. You can stack them for more storage space and they are lightweight, inexpensive and easy to change up.
While you are decluttering, you can simmer hot water on the stove with orange peels, cinnamon sticks and cloves as a natural way to make your home smell amazing. Now you have learned how to be productive without getting overwhelmed! What home project are you going to do first while you get your dance on?
