Free Decluttering Workbook
How To Make Decluttering Easy
Something that’s changing my life lately.
So, here’s the deal. Nathan and I have had an ongoing discussion (going on 6 months now) about “wasting time.” Is it possible? On one hand, every time we’re “wasting our time” there is a good chance we are learning something new that will impact our future. But, on the other hand, we only have a limited amount of time in our life, so if we spend it worthlessly, then that time is gone forever.
Okay. So, with that in mind, let’s talk about how many times you’ve picked up those toy cars this week. (Or toy robots in my case.) And let’s talk about how many times you’ve moved that pile of clothes off your bed only to put them back when you wake up in the morning (totally guilty here). Or what about how much time you spend working around that pile of clutter at the end of the counter?
Or digging through your closet looking for that shirt you wanted to wear? And I don’t know about you, but I’ve probably spent over 100 hours this year trying to find a place to put things. Or organizing things.
And even if the stuff isn’t in your way, what about fixing things? Stuff takes maintenance. Or cleaning things. And stuff still collects dust, if we use it or not.
How many hours a week would you say you spend dealing with stuff?
So let’s tie the two together now. I found this quote on Pinterest and it is shaking me to my core.
“We don’t buy things with money. We buy them with hours from our lives.”
Hours that we will never get back.
Think about it. We work all day and half the night, either bringing home a paycheck from work or working on the life that happens at home. And then once that is done, it’s time to do laundry, clean, pick up toys and the list goes on.
What if we had less stuff? Then would we have more time to play simple card games or board games after dinner? Maybe if there were fewer toys to pick up on Saturday morning we might get to get out as a family and go on adventures (or, if you’re the Grandma, get out and go see the family).
What if we take this decluttering plunge with our whole hearts and come out with the life we’ve always dreamed.
See, I have this idea. It’s kinda bonkers, and I have a blog post coming out about it soon. But, I had lots of toys when I was a kid. We lived in a modest house. Lots of toys + small bedroom = normal kid clutter. As I grew up and wanted a magazine room, I studied the magazines. What I realized was those people could actually see their baseboards.
Whoah. My baseboards were completely covered with toys and furniture. And now that I’m grown up, I’ve gotten rid of a lot of the furniture I had before because I know that if I can see my baseboards, my mind has visual space to think and be creative. That when we can’t see the baseboards, the furniture is so thick in the room that we have a hard time moving around to live and play.
And seriously. If seeing my baseboards is the trick to having more of that sweet precious time with my little boy, I’ll do whatever it takes. I’ll sell the whole farm to see his sweet smile and hear his contagious laugh.
So, here is the decluttering challenge.
Right here. Right now. I’m throwing down the gauntlet and challenging you to jump into this with your whole self. It will make a difference for your family. For your peace. And even your joy. You’ll have more breathing room and less stress (who doesn’t need that?!!? Yes! Sign me up!!). You’ll have more time to spend with you family because you’ll be spending less time dealing with the stuff. And you’ll finally have the space to soak up the moments instead of the mess.
So, I’ll leave you with my own quote and a link to this life-changing workbook.
“Get rid of the mess so you can soak up the moments.”
Wondering what’s in this handy free decluttering workbook? Well. I’ll tell ya. Some life-changing stuff.
- First, you’ll get to read a quick how-to for using the workbook.
- Then, you’ll start the action steps by setting some goals. You’ll want to come back to these goals when it feels like you’re not making any progress. Then you’ll remember why you started.
- Next, you’ll find a room checklist to check off a room as you finish it (feel free to add more rooms in your home in the extra space).
- Then, it’ll be time to get down to the nitty gritty. You can move through each room, writing down things you know need to go and using the sample list as a starting point. If you need more space or pages, there is a blank page for you to reprint and use as needed.
- Finally, I know motivation can be hard to find sometimes, so I included some printable cards for inspiration. Print them out and set them out in the room you’re working on to keep you motivated to keep going.
You can do this. I’ve got your back. Let me know if you need help along the way. I’m right here in the trenches with you!
Let’s take back our life from our stuff and start living the life we were meant to live.
