The following
post is written by Steady Mom's monthly contributor, Cortney.
I recently received a compliment that was honest, sincere and meant more than the giver could have ever imagined.
It was from my neighbor, who said while visiting our home for the first time, "You know what I like so much about your house--it's not cluttered."
I couldn’t believe my ears!
When my husband said the house wasn’t cluttered I didn’t believe him—and he tried multiple times.
But hearing it from someone so unaware of my constant fight against clutter was like hearing a bitter opponent admit defeat and surrender. At that moment I thought, "Ah! Did he really just say that? Yes, yes he did! I can't believe it!"
What a sweet feeling of victory.
My battle against clutter began a few years ago when we were living in a tiny 800 square-foot condo. I waged a war against the collections of stuff that were breaching both my physical and mental borders.
I didn't recognize it at the time, but my mental state was suffering the same sense of suffocation from too much stuff in a confined space as one might experience in a small elevator with too many people.
When we moved into a house with more than twice the square footage, I vowed not to let the space fill up with unnecessary stuff.
I didn’t think I had been successful in my quest, until my good neighbor helped me start to feel the rewards of constantly caring for my home.
Here are four things I've learned while trying to keep my space clutter-free.
1. Have a place for everything.
Have you noticed that whenever there is a cleared surface in your home, it gets covered with stuff?
We set things down where it is convenient (and takes the least effort) and where space is available. Then when those things turn into piles of stuff, we have to make time to declutter.
But if a specific place is conveniently available for everything in your home, then that stuff is less likely to become clutter and more likely to be put away.
This means you can find it next time you need it, and it's not sitting out creating another task for you to do later.
It takes time to figure out the best place to put things. Trial and error will tell you what works best for your habits and routines.
But you cannot expect to solve all your organizational problems without spending a little money on the right tools to help you do a good job.
I’m not saying you have to spend a lot; I am a coupon-clipping, bargain-shopping woman and I love to find good deals.
Take note of things you think might help you be more organized—a new shelf, some files or a notebook—and then watch for deals.
Remember that the price of the item will be worth every penny if it means you can think more clearly and eliminate wasted time or energy.
3. Do it now.
Photo by txd
When you notice a few items lying around, pick them up and put them away when you walk by.
If you wait, that stuff will accumulate more stuff and the amount of time it takes to put it all away will increase.
It is much easier to clean a few minutes at a time than to find a big chunk of time later.
If I am feeling constrained by clutter in our home, we stop what we are doing, turn on some music, and pick up as much as we can as quickly as we can.
4. Rotate home decor items.
Much of what we store in our homes is seasonal, including home décor. You probably also have special home items that just make you happy, which you don't want to store away in a closet all the time.
But eventually shelf and wall space become limited and your décor then carries with it a sense of clutter. So start rotating your favorite decorations.
When you pull an item out that has been away for a while, you will get excited about something you love having a sense of newness without spending any money.
So take the time to make your home the haven it should be.
If a clean home is a happy home, then a clutter-free home is a joyful, radiant, and liberated home.
**What's your best tip for organizing and decluttering?**
Cortney
is a young mother of two who seeks to bring beauty and love to her
family through various creative outlets: photography, writing, sewing, cooking and
entertaining to name a few. You can
discover more of Cortney's creative ideas at her blog, Praiseworthy.
