So, I am a huge proponent of keeping the space in our home free and clear of clutter. I believe that clutter can have a direct connection between your productivity (mind) and mood or energy in your home. Let me preface this by saying I have always been a messy Marvin! But after having four kids in our home, it was time for a change!
I loved the book by Marie Kondo, Tidying Up. I will not lie at first, I thought this chick is a little weird, but the more I leaned in to some of the ideas, the more I liked it. For example, she gives the suggestion that everything alike should be stored in one place together, such as books. We are a homeschooling family so we had stuff spread out everywhere. Now you can find all our books and school supplies in one area of our house. However, the process was definitely not a breeze. The instruction was to bring every single book you owned into one area. Then you pick each book up and decided if it brings value to your life, or is it simply taking up space. I brought all the books to one area and was surged by an overwhelming feeling! There was a huge, mound of books, some I didn’t even know existed. But slowly I began to follow the process and little by little the book pile drastically dwindled down. For our reading books now, I simply check those out of the library, and only hold on to books that are absolutely timeless, that the kiddos never tire of reading. I also had a mound of school supplies. I mean where in the world were 100 pack of sticky notes hiding, a hundred pens, and countless pairs of scissors, I didn’t even know I owned. This cut down on buying duplicate things I did not need, also on search times for misplaced items, and an overall neat and tidy look. Not to mention, it left other areas in my houses less crowded by objects that longer belonged there.
I don’t want you to read this and think I’m some neat freak or organizational guru, but I am taking steps to make life much simpler. I have always been a free spirit, while my husband was very much a planner. I always thought that if I had a scheduled and was organized that it would stifle my jam, but turns out it frees up much more time for me to be spontaneous. This is just one example of how this book was a real eye opener!