I need to start writing again, staring at this blank page is not helpful. I have so many thoughts I want to capture:
Decluttering is like Melting snow – starts with a mindshift of a few degrees. Raise the temperature and it all melts away. It may look messier at first but you have to clear the space for the flowers to bloom. It is surprising how quickly it springs upon you. And it melts in layers.
If you try to move the clutter before the mind-shift than its as laborious as shoveling snow – and in the end you just are moving it around.
I’ve been there. I have packed up my kitchen twice for remodels and put it all back again. I’ve moved. It all comes back. I would pay a woman once a week to clean my house – a professional took her 4-5 hours and I would be one room ahead of her picking up all the stuff. I’d have one hour to get to work on something I wanted to and think – I’ll just pick up this room real quick, 45 min later – I’d be done. The volume of stuff I was managing everyday was ridiculous. They say civilization is 3 meals away from anarchy? That’s how I felt about my house – it was one day away of explosive takeover by stuff.
I’ve tried so many tricks and sayings in the past. Clutter attracts clutter, just put it away once instead of dropping it and putting it away twice. But I didn’t have an away. I hit decision fatigue by noon redeciding how to rehome everything. I bounced from fire to fire of stuff exploding out of its space all day long if I allowed myself. And it wasn’t satisfying. So I stopped and started working on myself. On my reactions to things, on my unmet needs and limiting beliefs. Then several years into this- it happened. The few degree shift occurred and the clutter started to melt. QUICKLY, the mentor I needed showed up in form of the Minimal Mom. I just voraciously almost religiously watched her youtube videos to learn how to let go of all the stuff. We were thinking of moving closer to family and I knew we wouldn’t move until it was easy. It didn’t feel easy because of all the stuff. I set up a March spring clean challenge to keep me going with my sister in laws and the daily check in helped me climb out of the steepest hardest part and shift the mindset. At first I cleaned lydia’s room. Took out all the storage stuff in her closet and put her clothes in there. I still had every shelf filled with little bins for her tops, bottoms, matching outfits I liked, dresses, PJs. After a week of decluttering and observing my addiction to stuff, (and having Lydia pull the carefully sorted bins off the shelf) I watched a video about minimalizing kids clothes. Pick 5 outfits, and some layering. WHAT? I had 5 dresses alone in there that I was waiting for Lydia to wear when it warmed up enough. Huh. 5. Could I really do it? The thought at the back of my head is going on trips. It’s like when we go to Utah. But at the end of the trip – I get sick of my clothes. So this is what I am going to try. 5 outfits now and then 5 outfits ready to pull out when I’m sick of these 5. But only 5 in the wash rotation. Huh. 5. Can I do 5? We’ll see.
Becky has dispelled the myth that you can’t have it all… Becky’s a Mom of 6, a loving wife and a purposeful parenting coach. Her level of self-awareness and her continual focus on being her best self is what sets her apart. Becky is a Conscious Coach who can truly help any person awaken to their highest purpose. A nurturer to her core… Becky’s work is at the heart of what our families most need… as she provides the pathway to self-love, family connectedness and, ultimately, a better community and a higher level of consciousness that is changing our World for the better.
