This has been a long-time coming. Two years, really.
I’ll be honest, when we went into the pandemic, I was determined to get rid of excess everything to save my energy. Survival Mode felt temporary at that point and things like decluttering became something that turned from a regular thing to something I would do when everything was over and done with.
As you can imagine, that strategy didn’t work out too well. It’s not two years later and what started as small piles have become near-avalanches. It’s nowhere near what you’d see on shows about Hoarding Disorder, but every time I watch those shows, I can see that if I don’t stop and pay attention, those piles-turned-avalanches will meld together to form walls of just STUFF!
With two kids who grow so quickly, I’ve had trouble keeping up with their changing clothes sizes and I know bags and bags of clothes will be some of the first to go.
I don’t quite have a plan at the moment, to be honest. I’ve been gathering some research and already reached out to my friends on Instagram who gave me these suggestions:
Becoming Minimalist — Really enjoying a lot of the tips on the blog and may pick up one of their books too! Clutterfree with Kids looks right up my alley!
DeClutter with Deirdre — I’ve known Deirdre for a few years since meeting at She Podcasts Live and finding out not only were we from neighboring towns, but also happened to live next door to her family’s business growing up! Fast-forward to now, her blog has been immensely helpful so far and it’s given me loads of ideas and things I already know will make a difference.
Marie Kondo (a popular choice!) —We’ve used her method a few years ago the last time we decluttered actually! Now there are two shows of hers on Netflix: Tidying Up with Marie Kondo and Sparking Joy
Shaunta Grimes’ “LOVE” matrix — this is so great because it’s based on Eisenhower’s method of productivity, which I adore! I’m definitely using this when it comes to deciding what to toss and save.
@Simplified did a whole 30-day Instagram Simplicity Challenge in January 2022 that can really be done any time! Check out Day 12’s post, which I’ve included in this post because this is a great tip for any time!
Struggle Care Decluttering Guide — apparently she’s very ADHD-friendly! Something I’m especially looking for.
Pop Up Purge — This was funny that it was suggested to me because I actually edited an episode with the author, Mary Vraa, for an episode of Wellness While Walking a few months back and completely forgot until someone suggested her and I remembered the name and how good that episode was! (Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen on Google Podcasts)
I mentioned looking for ADHD-friendly solutions and one thing I want to be sure of when decluttering is even when a program or guide says “this is the best way,” I need to be sure it’s the best way for me. For example, I found I was more likely to clean the bathroom regularly when I kept an extra cleaner bottle and roll of paper towels in there. But if I were to be stringent about getting rid of duplicates, I’d be letting the quest for more space get in the way of convenience when it comes to keeping a cleaner bathroom.
By the way, I have a weekly reminder I wrote about in my post ADHD and Google Home Commands I Love that reminds me to clean the bathroom on Sundays, since it’s next to impossible for me to realize something needs cleaning unless it’s in-my-face grimey. Ooof. And you all thought I needed that cooking challenge!
Anyway, I’m looking forward to starting and, honestly, I’m a little too embarrassed to post the Before Pictures now but I’m taking them. That, alone, is an eye-opener to how cluttered it’s gotten! I’m hoping that the reveal is worth comparing them, but I’m sure anything is an improvement on biggest clutterholes (why yes, Spellcheck, I DO want to add the word “clutterholes” to the dictionary, now that you mention it!) in our house.
I already have a few accountability buddies who’ve DMed me and let me know they also want to get in on decluttering with me so I’m going to try to make it an interactive challenge in my stories.
I’ll probably do a separate post once I’ve figured out a plan of attack. I’m currently taking a week to recover from the Cooking-at-Home challenge, which just wrapped up and I’m proud to say my husband, Mark, was the MVP of it with his love of sous vide steak!
I’ll be posting daily-ish about how the decluttering challenge is going over on Instagram in my Stories and you can check out the progress at the Feb. Focus Highlight in my profile 🙂
GOALS FOR THE MONTH — FEBRUARY 2022 (Possibly March as well, TBD)
Create a decluttering plan that’s manageable and sustainable and works with our family.
Declutter and clean the 10-year-old's room so we can redo it for her birthday!
Chip away, chip away, chip away.
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