When you try to remember everything that needs to get done it all tends to whirl around in your head making it hard to get to sleep at night.
Writing out a master task list (I’ve found a white board or phone memos work best) puts all of those to-do things in a safe place where they won’t get forgotten so you don’t have to keep thinking about them.
Take a few items off the list now and then as that day’s tasks. The master list will always grow, but you’ll at least have clarity as to what continues to need doing!
Do Regular Sweeps
One of the biggest problems families have living in a small space is all the stuff kids have that seems to grow all by itself if you don’t constantly cull.
Try doing regular sweep through the house. Maybe every month or 2. Put every toy or craft item you haven’t seen anyone play with in a while away in an out of the way place like the garage or basement.
If the kids don’t notice after another few weeks, send it off for donation or into the garbage bin.
Check Out the Offerings of Your Local Yoga Studio
Always Have a Donation Box in Your Home
If you have kids, you probably don’t have large blocks of time where you get to declutter your life in one fell swoop.
More than likely, you encounter many useless items throughout the day.
By having a donation box in the home at all times, you now have a place to put that clutter, rather than just leaving it where you found it only to (not) deal with it later.
Try a One Day Juice Fast
A juice fast means getting a set of usually six juices from your local purveyor of juice that you will drink over the course of the day without consuming anything else other than water. The juices in a fast are specifically meant to carry the nutrients your body needs throughout the day.
Why do this? Because it resets you and can make you feel more energized. Sometimes we benefit from something a little more drastic to remind us to take care of our bodies. Then caring for the rest of your life will hopefully follow!
This is not for everybody and I do recommend talking to your doctor before trying it to make sure it’s healthy for your body.
Find a Way to Use or Repurpose Sentimental Items
Do you keep special items in keepsake boxes or stored away like museum pieces to be admired but rarely used? If so, those items are clutter.
By using sentimental items regularly or finding a way to display them in a clutter-free fashion, you are switching the item from under-appreciated relic to useful life tool.
We Are What We Consume
Usually, we think about consumption as being about food. In this case, it refers to all that we see, read or listen to during the day. Today’s world of constant digital connectivity means that we are always being fed information- some useful but most non-essential.
One of the critical ways to declutter our minds is to be very careful about what we consume. This may mean that you select the videos you watch on YouTube or even monitor your social media habits.
Going on a social media detox is a great way to reset things and clear your mind of the junk.
Don’t Lose Motivation
When clutter and mess have got out of control, the motivation to get started decluttering your home wanes.
Days or even weeks can pass, while you keep looking at the mess every day and getting stressed out by it. To get yourself jumpstarted or to reduce the overwhelm try to:
- Set a timer for 5 minutes at a time and use that 5-minute block to complete one task.
- Repeat three times, each time completing a different stage of the tidying process.It’s something anyone can achieve, with only a few minutes a day.