This 1 Thing will Change Your Life

Clutter free room

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Live a Better Life

Sounds like quite a promise, right?

One thing that will change your life? Presumably for the better.Clutter free room

But yes, that’s what I have here.

And not only do I have an entire post all about it, but the nice people over at Groom and Style have offered to share their very complete guide as well. It’s called “The Art of Tidying Up: A Complete Guide to a Decluttered Life”.

Yes, we are talking about decluttering.

And I know I have some non-fans of Marie Kondo out there, but please don’t discount this guide because of that. It really is well written, understandable, and full of sensible advice.

Imagine a Better Life

Imagine, for a minute or two, that your home and life are clutter free.

Don’t you feel lighter already? Like a weight has been lifted from your shoulders?

Imagine that you know where anything you need is, without giving it a second thought, because you only have what you need and love in your home.

Have you ever heard of the 80/20 rule?

Lately, you see it brought up a lot in articles about capsule wardrobes. The idea is that you wear 20% of your clothes 80% of the time.

I bet the same is true about most of the stuff in your home, and I don’t mean your Christmas decorations. (Although I have to say I have been trying to downsize mine for the last 4 years or so, and while I keep throwing stuff away, I swear it’s multiplying over the summer.)

You’re Convinced, But

I know. It’s overwhelming.

There’s the possibility of my husband getting transferred back to Michigan (yay) – well, rumors anyway – and the thought of packing up this house, or even going through it and getting rid of stuff just makes me want to hide.

So I understand the overwhelm.

And then, where to begin?

I took a look through Groom and Style’s guide, looking for an answer or at least some inspiration, and I found it.

In the guide, they consult a number of organizing experts, get some ideas, and feature their number one tip.

Here’s the one from Peter Walsh:

Tackle the master bedroom first, so that it fulfills the vision you have for your life.

 

That makes a lot of sense, don’t you think?

There’s a Quote about a Race

Something about it being a sprint?

I never understood it completely – obviously I still don’t – but what I’m so eloquently (sarcasm) trying to say here is that you’re in this for the long haul.

Don’t expect to pencil it into your planner next week, and be living the good life the following week.

Take it slowly. We ADDers like everything fast, cause that’s the way we are, but in some things, we need to learn to slow down.

And by slow down, I don’t mean “get excited, do too much the first weekend, get overwhelmed all over again by how much work that was, and never do it again”.

And you wonder why we never complete anything.

Here’s the Plan

When you have finished reading this (we’re almost done), pop over to Groom and Style and go through their guide.

You might want to take notes, print it out, or bookmark it.

Then decide on an area that you’re going to begin with.

Peter Walsh’s idea of the master bedroom is good, or you can choose another one. Maybe something smaller, less intimidating, or more aggravating. Your choice.

Now look at your planner. And hey, maybe other people’s schedules too. Help is always good.

Set aside about three hours to work with.

Then start collecting your supplies: boxes, garbage bags, a Sharpie or two. Maybe a case of bottled water or some water bottles you can refill.

The night before or day of, re-read whatever it is you need to get motivated again.

And then get to work!

And remember that thing about the sprint. You’re going to be doing this again. And again.

And in the end, it will be SO worth it!

Lacy Estelle

Lacy Estelle

Lacy Estelle is the writer of Lacyestelle.com and the Podcast host for An ADD Woman.

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