One Month De-Clutter Challenge

I'm the first to admit that I'm not a naturally tidy or especially organized person. This is a weak area for me, so I'm taking active steps to get a better handle on it and take control of that area of my life.

De-cluttering our physical spaces helps de-clutter our mind and emotions. Purging, clearing, and starting from a clean slate gives a feeling of lightness and not being weighed down by "stuff", and is a great place to make a fresh start. Our routines and daily tasks become easier without having to work around things that are in the way.

Where do we start? I like to consider both what is the most pressing, as well what are easy changes I can make to build momentum for harder tasks. I've already cleared some clothes that Ava's outgrown and passed them on to a younger cousin, and as small a task as that is, I've been putting it off for weeks (ahem, months. Baby was born in February. 🤣) and it feels good to be able to finally check that off my list, as well as having more open space in Ava's room and closet.

For the next 30 days I'm focusing on de-cluttering my physical space. EVERYDAY I'll spend 15-20 minutes clearing, organizing, and donating as appropriate. I'm counting tomorrow as day 1 and will clean out one kitchen junk drawer. Right now, we're renting a place with a very small kitchen, which is easily overrun by clutter. I plan to simply clear and organize one drawer or 2 cabinets per day until I make my way through the entire kitchen. Then, I plan to move onto our hall closet, which I often treat as a catch-all when I'm in a hurry. After that will be our bathroom cabinets.

De-cluttering our time and emotional load is equally as important. Think of some of what's cluttering up your time, things that are not a top priority- maybe spending too much time on social media, committing to social obligations we don't care to follow through with, only saying yes to people because we have a hard time saying no or worry what they'll think of us, trying to be the "pinterest perfect" parent with stuff we don't really care about because we think it looks good on the outside, time wasters from lack of planning, whatever. Even a few minutes of planning for the week ahead, and a few minutes before bed for the next day are huge steps in the right direction to make things run smoothly, and eliminate some of the time suckers.