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Working on de-cluttering different areas of your life can seem so daunting! Where do I start? How do I de-clutter my home? How do I make my mind stop racing? How do I make my life more simple? These are some questions I asked myself when I began the journey to a simpler lifestyle. They can seem overwhelming at first, but if you take them step by step, you will be there in no time!
I have put together some information on how to get started de-cluttering different areas of your life. I have included steps to take, and advice on how to make this process easier. You can do this!
How often do you feel overwhelmed by the things in your life? There are so many things that consume our lives. Clutter in our houses, clutter on our phones, and family and social obligations are just a few of those things.
If you feel overwhelmed by the clutter or obligations in your life, it’s time to take action and start purging! Purging your home and mind will bring you one step closer to a simpler lifestyle.
If you’re like me, you have dreamed of having a simpler lifestyle. It is attainable and oh-so-worth the work to get there!
De-Clutter Your Home
When I first wanted to start my simple life journey, I began with de-cluttering my home. I feel like the first step towards living a simpler lifestyle starts within the four walls of your home.
Now, I try to de-clutter my entire home at least once a year, and often find myself going through things more often than that.
IT IS SO FREEING to go through and get rid of things.
I started with the smallest room in the house- the laundry room. I went through all the junk in there (It is, unfortunately, the catch-all of the house). Then, I went through the larger rooms like the bedroom, closets, and kitchen. I had made three different piles while cleaning out which were things to donate, things to sell, and things to throw away.
Using this de-cluttering list really helped me focused on going through the different rooms in our house.
What I wanted to know was why my husband and I had so much stuff. Why had we collected so much stuff already when we had only been married a few years. It was crazy when I really stood back and looked at all the THINGS we had that we did not use or need.
Once I went through and got rid of many things we no longer needed, including toxic cleaners, I began to organize everything.
If you know one thing about me, it should be that my label maker is one of my favorite things that I own. Such a simple thing, yet it brings me so much joy. I labeled boxes, containers, and anything else that needed it.
Everything having a place is how I continue to keep my house organized daily. It makes cleaning up my house easier because I know where everything should go rather than trying to find a place to put things to tidy up.
The process of purging, de-cluttering, and organizing is freeing. You will feel refreshed. You will feel relieved. And you will want to continue de-cluttering the rest of your life.
De-Clutter Your Mind
One of my favorite ways to de-clutter my mind is to make lists. Lists not only keep your life organized, but they also help with getting things off your mind and down on paper. This helps to de-clutter your mind.
The main thing that will help de-clutter your mind is to stop having so many things that take up space in your mind. One of my favorite ways to get all my thoughts out of my mind is to use a brain dump list. A brain dump is when you write down everything, I mean everything, that is on your mind.
From there, I like to sort those thoughts into different categories. Things on the brain dump list that I cannot get done right away, I will put on a master to-do list.
Things that can be done in the next day or two will go on my regular to-do list. Things I need to buy will go on a to-buy list. I will also make a list of people I need to call or email. The lists continue until I have everything sorted out.
Having these thoughts sorted into categories and written down will help you keep better track of them and will allow you to see them and mark them off as they are completed (which is the best feeling)!
You can grab print outs of all these lists below!
Another idea for de-cluttering your mind is to start journaling. Journaling is great for spending time alone with your thoughts.
It allows you to clear out what’s on your mind, write down your thoughts and wishes, and get to know yourself better.
I love journaling! I enjoy writing about my days, how I am feeling, things I am thankful for, and simply clearing my mind. It’s a great way to de-clutter your mind before bed or before starting your day.
De-clutter your life
Ah, the social calendar… do you really want to be doing all the things you have said yes to? That is my biggest problem. I feel like I have to say yes to everything, which results in my calendar always being full!
But learning to say no to things you don’t want to do or don’t have time to do will make you feel so much better! One of my biggest goals this year is learning to say no and not feeling bad about it!
One of the first steps in de-cluttering your life is to evaluate the commitments that you have made.
To evaluate the commitments you have, you need to grab a pen and some paper to make a list of these commitments. Commitments can include anything from family, work, social and civic duties, kids, hobbies, and more.
Once you have written all your commitments down, look over them.
Are you devoting more time than you should be to some things in your life? Are there some commitments that bring your life no joy or value?
Next, you should decide whether or not there are some commitments you can cut back on. Eliminating some obligations can be the hardest step in all of this, but it is so worth it.
I would start by cutting back on at least one of these commitments and see how it goes. Then continue this process until you have de-cluttered your life to the point you feel comfortable, less hectic, and like you have time to breathe.
Until next time,
Catherine
Such a great post! Lately I’ve been realising how much the clutter in my home contributes to my cluttered mind and life. A clean home makes my mental health feel so much better but sometimes bad days make it harder to clean and declutter. It is a toxic cycle! I appreciate all these tips so much, thank you for sharing!
You’re welcome! I understand the cycle very much. You’ve got this!
Thank you for sharing! Saved for later
You’re welcome!
Great suggestions, I need a big declutter soon this year. And many things to deal with. Thank you for sharing this helpful post.
You’re welcome!
I love making lists too. It helps me keep my focus on other things.
Same for me!
I love organizing so I’m not a big fan of clutter but your right, clutter is not just what you see on the floor but anything standing between you and your dream life. Thank you so much for this!
You’re welcome! I hope it brought some inspiration.
I agree completely! I can’t even begin to declutter my mind when my home is a mess! Great tips!
Yes! It makes my mind go crazy when my house is a mess.
Loving all these tips!!! I am a huge fan of decluttering 😉
I’m glad you like them! I’m a huge fan too 🙂
very helpful tips to decluttering
Thanks for reading!
Decluttering our minds. I love the way you framed that! I am a huge supporter of Journaling. Good call with that one. 🙂 Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for reading! Journaling is a life saver some days.
The stuff on here is brilliant; both for the home and the mind. I feel like I’m doing pretty good on both accounts, that said, it never hurts to have a lot of information about both areas. Never know when you might need them! Thank you so much for sharing!
Thank you for reading! I hope this information is helpful.
Great advice! Love it
Thank you!
This is a great reminder to declutter! I love the tip for decluttering the house by starting with the small spaces and then going from there. Also yes, journaling and lists are great for decluttering the mind! Great tips.
Thank you! It’s easier for me to start small and work my way up to the bigger things 🙂
I have big plans to declutter my home this month. Thanks for the great tips!
You’re welcome! Good luck with it!
It does feel freeing to de-clutter and get rid of things! I also love making list.
De-cluttering definitely makes me feel more free! I love the feeling.
Great advice for de-cluttering your home, mind, and life! I do a big house purge twice a year and it feels so good to get rid of stuff. I am a huge fan of keeping things simple and organized and love what you shared!
Thank you! I love that there are fellow purgers out there. I love to do big house clean outs and de-clutter. It makes me feel better and less overwhelmed.
Simplifying & decluttering the home makes me feel light & free. Yes, please. You’ve offered some great tips for doing both.
As I get older, de-cluttering my home is a constant challenge. Getting ready to downsize and dissect my life and stuff is a challenge.
Good luck with downsizing! I know that can be a lot of work.
I definitely needed this article! Decluttering is something we desperately need to work on around here! Thank you for the tips!
I hope the tips help you get started!
I love decluttering. Clutter interrupts the flow of energy for me and doesn’t feel good. No clutter equals easy flow of energy.
I absolutely love how you worded that! It clutter does interrupt the flow of energy.
This is a great guide on how to declutter your home, mind, and life. Love the tips especially since we’ll be downsizing soon.
I hope these tips help you with your downsizing!
Love this decluttering inspo! I’m a bit of a clean freak so a couple of times a year I will take my home apart to do this. It really does feel amazing when you’re home & you mind are clutter free. Also going to try your dusting spray! Thank you.
I am a bit of a clean freak as well. De-cluttering helps to keep my home organized and overall makes me feel good. I hope you love the dusting spray! I haven’t used anything different in years.
Decluttering is so refreshing. We love how we feel after getting rid of clutter.
I love how it feels as well!