If you have been searching for ways to have less stress in your home, then you have come to the right place. In this post, I will tell you the 5 areas to simplify in your home that will provide long lasting peace in what once was an overwhelming space, and how simplifying these areas have helped me to find the calm in the chaos when life becomes overwhelming.
Should You Simplify Your Home?
Are you finding yourself tripping over toys? Does the pile of dirty laundry seem to keep growing, no matter how many loads you’ve done? Does the sink full of dishes haunt you at the end of the day? Is your mail taking over your desk, causing you to lose important papers? Or are you overwhelmed by all of the things that require your time and energy, but you don’t have anymore time or energy to give? If you’re thinking yes, don’t worry, I have been there many times. Over the past few years, I have found that by simplifying certain areas in my life significantly, I have created a calmer, easier to manage, and more peaceful home life, that allows me to be a better version of myself. If you too are looking for the light at the end of the tunnel of the never ending daily tasks, then you will find great relief in this post.
Why I Simplify These 5 Areas In My Home
I have gone through all of the areas in my home, simplifying as much as I possibly can in order to lessen the overwhelm that had taken over me. Every time that I find myself becoming anxious in my home, I return to these 5 main areas to evaluate the amount of stuff that we may have accumulated over time. Each time that I simplify back down to the minimal amount of items that works best for our family, things begin to roll smoothly again. I hope that by simplifying these areas in your home, you are able to find the same peace that I have been able to give myself. Here are 5 things to simplify in your home today that will make the biggest impact in the future days to come.
5 Areas To Simplify In Your Home
TOYS
If you have kids, the first thing that you want to simplify is their toys. This is an area that most people who are struggling with clutter could pare down on significantly. In most cases kids toys can be cut in half, at least. Toys have always been a big stressor in my home. They are everywhere! Before I began simplifying our home, we had a whole playroom filled with toys, plus toys in my son’s bedroom, plus a toy box in our living room. Studies show that kids actually play best with fewer toys. My kids definitely prefer a pillow and sheet fort to any toy. I am no longer extremely overwhelmed by the amount of toys that we have, because I know that it takes just minutes to tidy them up after simplifying this area. I also don’t mind my kids making big messes with their toys, because I know that they can effectively pick them back up at the end of the day without complete overwhelm.
LAUNDRY
In our home we have simplified our towels down to 2 towels per person. This is plenty of towels and wash rags to last us through a week. Now, I only ever have to wash up to 8 towels. Ever! Clothing is another area that most people can simplify by half or more. Most of our clothing is hardly worn, because in most cases, we have our few favorites that we wear on repeat throughout a month. This goes for adults and children. I know that my kids have their favorite outfits, and some outfits that they hate wearing because of the fit or feel of the clothing. By simplifying the amount of clothing that we have down to only the items that we love, we are limiting the amount of laundry that we will have to deal with on a weekly basis. We also keep only one set of sheets per bed. I wash all bedding on Sunday, and make the beds up the same day. By limiting the amount of clothing, towels, and bedding that we have in our home, I am able to simplify doing laundry all together.
DISHES
Dishes is another category of your home that can really run your life if you let them get out of hand. To keep dish washing as simple as possible, I keep 2 dishes of each kind per person accessible on an everyday basis. We keep a few extra stored away to have for guests and special occasions, but I try not to keep more than 8 of each dish for my family of 4. I also keep holiday themed dishes put away with my holiday decorations so that they aren’t taking up space throughout the year. I have found that the best way to keep dishes at bay is to run the dishwasher every night, no matter what and unload each morning. You can also wash and dry as you go after using each dish, though I know that this can be hard to keep up with in some phases of life.
PAPER
Paper clutter is no fun to deal with, and having too much to work with at one time is overwhelming. To keep paper clutter super simplified, I like to deal with it as soon as it comes in the door. I take the mail out of the mail box and immediately sort them as trash, file, shred, and to do. I throw away all mail that can be trashed, place papers that need to be shredded into the shred pile, file away important papers, and place to do’s in a basket on my desk. Sometimes I don’t take the time to file things away properly as soon as they come in, and I will place both important and to do papers on my desk to be dealt with at a later time. I designate Tuesday as my day to deal with any paperwork. This means that I shred and file any papers that are still in my paper basket, and take action on my to do’s.
ROUTINES
Routines are helpful, but can also cause overwhelm, if you pile on too much. Having a simple daily routine, is essential for me to have a day that runs smoothly while also allowing me to have time for every important area in my life. Simple morning and night time routines for you and your kids, can help to set you up for a great day, taking the anxiety of having a stressful morning off of your mind. I also have a simple weekly cleaning routine that keeps me from having to do overwhelming deep cleans. On a daily a basis, I only handle 3 main tasks each day. For example, on Thursdays I pay bills, clean out the fridge, and take out the trash . Even f I do nothing else, I feel like I have accomplished what I needed to for that day. When it comes to a To Do List of random things that may pop up, I will keep a running list of things that need to get done, so that they are out of my head and onto paper. If I have the time later in my day, I will refer back to this list, and work on something else if I feel like it.
There it is! Those are the 5 areas that I recommend that everyone simplify in their homes.
I hope that you found this post helpful, and that it has inspired you to simplify!
– Courtney
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5 Areas To Simplify In Your Home
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