My #1 Decluttering Rule

As many of you may know, I had an organizing blog for a couple of years when we lived in Minnesota. What sparked the idea was when we were packing our things to move to Minnesota, we were unable to fit it all into one moving truck. It was a little embarrassing at the time, but now looking back, I realize that often people have semis carry their cargo across the nation, so not being able to fit it all in U-Haul wasn’t completely shocking.

When we moved into our rental home in Prinsburg, Minnesota, it was a small home, but offered just what we needed. I started to become passionate about finding a place for everything and if there wasn’t a place or space, it had to go. I would say I was a borderline minimalist, but it also felt refreshing and freeing.

I learned much while writing that blog (posts that you can still find to this day by clicking here). One of the biggest lessons and truths I still hold onto is as much as organizing and decluttering frees up physical space in our homes, it also frees up mental and spiritual space as well.

Do you find it hard to focus when there is so much stuff around you? Research has shown that too much stuff (aka clutter) increases levels of stress and anxiety. If you deal with one of these struggles on a daily basis, take a look around your home! Is there clutter everywhere? Could it be attributing to the stress in your life? I’m not saying that clutter is the sole reason for stress and anxiety, but it can be part of the cause. What if you were able to clean up one space of your home a week? Find a place for everything and everything in its place?

We all make excuses for our clutter. A few of the reasons are guilt, cost, and how sentimental an item is. Read more excuses we make for clutter HERE. Clutter is just everywhere if we don’t try and get control of it. Clutter in our homes, in our minds, and in our hearts. To keep it simple and to decrease the “stress” our house and our lives feel, here is my one simple rule:

It sounds extremely simple to do, but difficult to implement. In our home, we try to keep everything in its place, but stuff still comes in. And what do I not do? Take one thing out. And so the clutter just keeps happening, and happening, and happening. If I simply abide by the rule, one in, one out, clutter wouldn’t keep piling up!

This is something I challenge myself with constantly. And something that simply takes work. But if I stick by my rule, it shouldn’t be a problem. Now to just stick to it!

What is the condition of your home? What story is your home telling? Is it one of clutter? One of stress? One of peace and calm? How do your kids feel in your home? How can we as parents establish a home that looks like it’s been lived in, but still ensure it doesn’t fill up to the brim with clutter, beyond just the physical clutter?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!