Simple Living at Home
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”
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A great deal of life happens at home. Yet, when you look around, is your home allowing you to live the simple, elegant life you dream of?
I wanted to start off this series on simple living with a focus on our home because it is so foundational to being able to simplify the other areas of our lives. When our home is decluttered, we have more time for the things that matter. We don’t have to spend countless hours just managing our stuff, instead we can focus on our priorities, we can find the mental space we need to reflect and recover from our day.
I haven’t always been a neat person. In fact, my mom, sister, aunt, cousin, husband… really anyone in my life would tell you that I was the exact opposite of a neat person. My bedroom floor was covered with books, clothes, and who knows what else, with a path carved to get from the door to the bed. It was ridiculous! It wasn’t until I had my son that I started exploring minimalism, which led to a ruthless decluttering of our apartment. In the process I discovered that 1) I could be neat when I knew exactly where things went, 2) I felt better in tidy spaces (as though my brain had space to think and truly unwind), and 3) even my kids functioned better in simplified, neat, tidy spaces.
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So I’ve already hinted at it, but you might still be asking “What does our home have to do with simple living?”
- First, off we do a great deal of living in our homes. So, if we simplify the stuff in our homes, our lives, by extension, become simpler!
- The simplicity of our home impacts so many things. For example, the time we spend cleaning and the money we spend on items (sometimes because we can’t find one we already own) are both resources that we could’ve spent on more valuable endeavors like playing with our kids or paying off debt.
- Our environment has a huge impact on us. I’m not sure if we can truly have a simple life in a cluttered home. When our homes are cluttered, it impacts our relationships and mental health which complicates other aspects of life.
- A key piece of simple living is making space for things that truly bring us joy. By decluttering our homes, we ensure that we are available to enjoy the smaller things in life. No longer do we have to be worried that a neighbor or friend might drop by unexpected. Nor do we have to dedicate our precious weekends to huge cleaning endeavors. Instead, we can welcome people in and spend time doing the things we love most (which is probably not cleaning).
Hopefully you’re starting to see the value in decluttering your home. I know it can seem like a huge endeavor, but trust me, it will pay off. Before you start running through the house with a garbage bag, here are a few things to know about decluttering:
- It is a continual process; a way of living. It’s not a one-and-done job. I do a deep dive decluttering every fall and spring. Living in today’s world means that items will inevitably make their way into our homes, especially during the holidays and special occasions like birthdays.
- You have time. It’s an excuse we hear/give a lot. But it only takes 15 minutes to clean out a drawer. You probably spend 15 minutes on a less productive task somewhere during your day.
- Stay focused. Don’t try and tackle the whole house in one day, you’ll burn out and never get through it all. Pick one section to focus on and tackle it before moving on to something else. It can feel overwhelming, but it can be done - How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.
- Your friends and family might not understand. Communication becomes key here.
What if your husband and kids aren’t on the same page?
- It takes teaching them.
- Don’t expect them to be as excited as you about getting rid of stuff.
- Talk about why it’s important to clean out the stuff we no longer need.
- It truly can be so beneficial for young kids… all of a sudden, they can find the toys they love when we remove the clutter/things they never play with.
How to get started:
1. Think about how you want your space to make you feel. Jot down some adjectives… Do you want your space to evoke excitement? Peace and calmness? Coziness? Use your description as a guide when deciding what to keep and what to get rid of.
2. Start with the most challenging area first.
3. Designate an area in your home to put all the stuff you’re getting rid of (and then actually follow through and get rid of things). You will need two piles, one for donating and one for garbage.
4. Some decluttering experts suggest taking everything out of the space and then only putting back the things that you want to keep. This is great for a smaller space like a junk drawer, but can be overwhelming, at least for me, in larger more cluttered spaces. Instead, I suggest pulling “everything” out in groups. For example, maybe you are cleaning out your closet and so you pull out all the shoes and sort through those, putting back only the ones you truly love. Then once you’re done with the shoes you can move on to the dresses, handbags, blouses, scarves, etc. This will allow you to tackle the task one group at a time and prevent you from feeling too overwhelmed by the mess inevitably associated with pulling everything out.
How to maintain a clutter-free home:
1. Store similar things together. Don’t keep some batteries in a drawer downstairs just in case you’ll need them someday in the living room, while the others remain upstairs in the game closet. That is how junk-drawers are created!
2. Don’t set things down where they don’t belong. This one takes some practice, but in in order to maintain your newly clutter-free home you need to put things in their place as they come into your house. Otherwise, you’ll be doing this process again in a short time. When kids come home with their schoolwork, look through it, get rid of the things you don’t need, and put the things you do want to keep in the designated space.
3. Have a tidy-up routine. Each evening before going to bed, pick up the items that are out of place and put them back where they go. You’ve simplified your stuff, so there shouldn’t be too many things to pick up AND you know exactly where everything goes so it’s a quick and easy task that can result in a beautiful space to wake up to each morning.
The queen of simplified living, Emily Ley (she literally wrote a book called A Simplified Life), suggests starting with your Master Closet when decluttering your home. And you’re in luck, because next week, starting on Monday, November 15th, I am hosting a 5-Day Closet Cleanout Challenge. Over these 5 days, we'll be creating a closet that we love to open each morning. Decluttering is never fun, but a challenge with some accountability can make it better! Plus, there will be live Q&A and opportunities to win some fun prizes!!!
You can register for the challenge here.
I hope to see you there!
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If you’re interested in creating a work-life balance characterized by simplicity, joy, and beauty, why don’t you start by checking out my Elegant Balance Workbook? In it, I help you define what work-life balance looks like for you and share some tips on creating that balance. I’ve said it before, and I’ll keep saying it – Balance doesn’t happen by accident.
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We spend a great deal of time at work. Like Annie Dillard once said, “How we spend our days is how we spend our lives.” I encourage you to look around your office and see what steps you can take to add simple luxuries to your workday because in the grand scheme of things, they will add up and lead to a luxurious life!