How To Prevent Clutter: Set An Example

Have you ever wondered what other people think of your home?

I do…

I have to admit that because I author an organizing blog there are high expectations to have our home put together. And in turn, others feel they have to apologize if theirs is not perfectly clean, when I come in because they think my home is. Those two ideas could not be further from the truth!

Do I like to have a place for everything? You bet. Do I like to have our home picked up? Of course. That is just me. Now, if I stepped int a home that was not as neat and clean, do I immediately cast a thought of judgment in comparison to our home? Absolutely not. I know that each person keeps their home a certain way, for a reason. Who am I to judge? Now I also know that there are others who would like to live a more organized life, but are struggling to find the right tools to do so. I think that in navigating the road to simplicity, there are a few things to consider.

1. What example have your parents set for you? What type of a home did you grow up in? Was it cluttered? Organized? Was it filled with a lot of stuff? Was it simple? Now think about how you live. Is your home a representation of how you grew up? Often when I ask people why their home is cluttered, either they were required to live in a very organized home and now have the freedom to live how they want, or the only thing they have been taught, is to be okay with clutter, with it being the norm. Whatever the reason may be, think about how you are living, and how your past may be a reason for it.

2. What example are you setting for your children? I believe the whole goal in raising children, is to train them for when they step out on their own. When you see your children setting up their homes, do you think about how you have raised them? What do your kids say about your home? Are you teaching them how to keep an organized mess and a relatively clean home? I say an organized mess because organization looks different for every family. Decide what example YOU want to set.

• An idea when it comes to gifts and setting an example for your children. When it comes to buying gifts consider this motto: buy them something they want, something they need, something to wear, something to read. Easy enough?