I’d like to embark upon a journey with you.  I plan to continue transforming my home to be as free of clutter as possible, full of peaceful and natural elements, and a true reflection of me and my family.  I’ve been reading a few books with this in mind and I’d like to share them with you.  I’m thinking we could each work on transforming our homes together.

If you’re game, beginning this month (with clutter), we will focus on one “home”ish theme a month.  One month will be bringing in or rearranging photographs, artwork, and objects that reflect you; another will involve adding color or texture; perhaps another will have to do with focusing on our senses to enjoy our rooms more.  You get the idea.  I think if we are conscious about it, we’ll start to relax more into our spaces.

I haven’t worked out all the topics or the schedule yet, but I think we should just dive in.  If you have suggestions of topics or how we can be accountable to each other, I’m all ears. For now, let’s keep it simple.  I’ll share a little about the topic and leave the rest to you.  Feel free to come back to this post all month to let us know your progress. Who wants to play???

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“The old must be released so that the new can enter.” ~Kali

Ah, clutter.  I know that “less stuff = less stress,” but some things just seem to accumulate.  When you think of beginning to clear your clutter, do you feel like my cat in that photo above? Like just thinking of it all is too much and you don’t want to even begin?

Maybe we can give ourselves some breathing space.  I think there are positive qualities of each of us that inadvertently drive us toward accumulating extra things.  Maybe we have a love of learning, so special-interest magazines or books pile up.  Perhaps we love to get things done, a fine trait, but we have many unfinished projects throughout our homes and closets.  Or are we sentimental, holding on to something because of its meaning when perhaps a photo of it would be enough? Maybe we’re creative, so we have way too many oodles of yummy craft supplies.  Or we like to help people, so we keep things in case they’re ever needed.  You get the idea.  The goal would be to keep the positive qualities and tidy up the clutter.

I have an invitation for you.

Let’s each focus one one or two things this month that we can easily get done.  Maybe you want to organize your remotes so they aren’t scattered around the media room.  Does your kid’s closet or stuffed animal collection need pruning?  Want to get your closet streamlined and organized?  Ask yourself if you use it, love it, or need it.  Whatever you choose, let us know how it turns out.

Here are some resources from around the web to guide you toward some new ideas:

A 7-step Plan to Organize the House on Power of Moms (OMG did you see her fridge?) I like how she has a day scheduled to tackle particular rooms.

34 Ingenious Ways to Declutter Your Entire Life on BuzzFeed.  There are lots of ways velcro can help keep things contained.

50 Ways to Use a Basket on Unclutterer.  Simply containing like items makes a huge difference.

Better Homes & Gardens will send you a weekly storage newsletter if you sign up here and you can also see a storage tip each day in January here.

This looks like a good book: 5 Days to a Clutter-Free House: Quick, Easy Ways to Clear Up Your Space.  The authors first ask an overarching question: “If everything were perfect and your house were set up exactly how you want it, what would it look like?”

I am learning that if we put a few things away every day, the mess is manageable.  My other key takeaway: get rid of things that make you feel bad.   Surround yourself with photos and objects that bring good memories to mind.  Keeping a bad purchase around doesn’t make it better.  Life is too short!

For myself, it’s definitely an ongoing battle.  Mail accumulates on the kitchen counter, even after I made “bills” and “coupons” bins that I use (it’s those darn magazines!).  And my daughter is quite prolific in producing paper scraps everywhere.

After reading Throw Out Fifty Things: Clear the Clutter, Find Your Life by Gail Blanke, I decided to tackle my closet.  I’ll spare you any “before” photos, but I gave a lot of clothes to Goodwill and uncovered some empty space that I will not be filling in with new things.

Be sure to share in the comments how you decide to conquer clutter this month!

“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.” ~ Lao Tzu