Recently in the Facebook group, someone posted and said they were super overwhelmed with tons of stuff in their house. Life got to be too much, and now everything’s just a hot mess. I completely related, and while there were good tips in that conversation, I wanted to discuss something that’s helped me a lot: using the Feng Shui principal of moving 27 items in a room to get the energy flowing again is something I do regularly… but with my own special twist.
How I deal with clutter overwhelm in small chunks
When I’m overwhelmed by a space, I take the time to permanently remove 27 items from the space. Usually that means donating items or just clearing out junk that’s accumulated and needs to be trashed, but sometimes that means taking care of lingering bite-sized projects that tend to build up when I’m overwhelmed.
When I implemented my Cleaning Zone system, I noticed how many of these little things were sitting around waiting for me to do them. Once I started to get a handle on the masses of little things that were stealing my sanity and making every available space cluttered, I could finally start to make progress on some of the bigger projects that had sat for too long, waiting for “one day” to come.
Staying motivated to declutter regularly
One of the quotes that sticks with me from Zig Ziglar is, “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” In an ideal world, maybe I would be able to stay motivated by sheer will power, but here in the real world that’s just not enough for me.
Making decluttering a finite, bite-sized activity instead of a huge, overwhelming process when I’m already overwhelmed has helped me really get my house, and the rest of my life, in order as well.
Dealing with 27 items may feel like a whole lot, or it may feel like it’s too little if you’re a recovering perfectionist like me, so I wanted to share some of my favorite sources of inspiration with you when I’m looking to declutter. 😀 Enjoy!
Graham Hill: Less Stuff, More Happiness
I love his concept of editing ruthlessly, and whenever I’m feeling uninspired to declutter, I remember how important it is to remove anything that isn’t in my family’s favorite stuff from our possessions. If we’re not willing to make time to use it and love it, then why am I letting it stay in my house?
I’m not going to me moving into a 420 square foot house anytime soon, but I love this video and find a lot of inspiration every time I watch it!
Minimalist Mom: Minimalism isn’t “roughing it”
Minimalist Mom is one of my favorite minimalism Youtubers out there. I love that she’s a mom like me – I find that people without kids can do things very differently, because they live by themselves, or only with other adults. While I’m not against minimalists who don’t have kids, I love hearing from someone who knows about the delicate balance of mininalism with having tiny humans at home.
This video is one that inspires me every time I watch it – it always reminds me that being a mininalist isn’t about keeping your house empty so there’s nothing to enjoy in it! It’s about not allowing the “stuff” to take over so you can’t enjoy life, like you’re in a vacation home.
And yes, as she says in the video, your house won’t be exactly like a vacation house, but there are a lot of things that you can use from a vacation house to inspire you to make your home more you-friendly and lower your stress with the stuff you’re managing on a regular basis!
P.S. Basically, anything on her Youtube channel is worth watching!
Pin-spiration: My Minimalism Pinterest board
One of my favorite things about Pinterest is that it allows me to curate a place full of inspiration. When I’m feeling overwhelmed with an area of my life, I know the first step is always to declutter, but that can feel like such a huge task, I’m not always sure it’s worth it.
When I need inspiration, this is the first place I go to remind myself of why I’m looking to edit my life, and what can be achieved when I stick to it!