My sister recently left her corporate job after 20+ years in the business. I asked her what she was going to do first, and she said, “declutter the heck out of my home”.
On top of leaving a familiar job, both of her children had recently moved out leaving behind a mess only 19 and 20-year olds can make. Her home was full of clutter and ‘stuff’ and she didn’t feel calm, relaxed, or peaceful. She even said it added significant amounts of anxiety to her life. So, she took a week and decluttered her home. One room at a time. It was just what she needed to help her transition into her new normal.
When I think about this new year, and how I can help my clients prepare for their next home, I strongly believe the first step is to encourage them to declutter their homes.
“The average size of the American home has nearly tripled in the past fifty years, and still one out of every eleven households rents off-site storage. The average American house contains three hundred thousand items. No wonder we spend almost 700 hours each year cleaning and caring for our home, and more than 153 days of our lives searching for misplaced items. Removing clutter makes room for a life focused on the things that matter most. It opens up physical space in our home and mental space in our mind.”— Joshua Becker
Most of us want our home to be a sanctuary we can retreat to and relax in. But a cluttered home makes rest and relaxation difficult. Too much stuff to deal with can also make you feel like your to-do list is never-ending as though there’s always more to do to maintain your home and you can’t keep up or catch up. If you allow this to continue, you may never feel ready to sell your home or move.
So where do you start? It all seems so overwhelming. Well, you didn’t clutter up your home overnight and you aren’t going to become clutter free overnight. Just because you read about someone who decluttered their life overnight (or my sister who did it in a week) doesn’t mean that pace is right for you. You must consider your home, your family, and your heart.
Also, no one said you had to get rid of it all. You decide what you want in your life. Keep things that add value to your life and the stuff you enjoy. When it doesn’t add value anymore, or you stop enjoying it, let it go. Ask yourself, “can I live without this?”, or “does this spark joy?” (shout out to KonMari), or what my sister asked, “does this thing benefit the new life I want?”. My sister recommends dividing things up into different boxes as you go through them: 1) keep, 2) give away, and 3) sell. She says it helps to keep it simple.
No matter how you choose to approach it, the first step is to pick a room or space and start. It’s time to prepare your home for the new year; prepare it for your well being and for the Spring Home Market. Don’t wait until the last minute to prepare your home to list/move. I have a decluttering cheat sheet you can download (reply this email for a copy), and there are a multitude of checklists on Pinterest as well.
Happy organizing!
-Arynne
PS: Not sure if you’re quite ready to move to your next home just yet? No problem. The sooner you start learning the ins and outs of this process, the better. Click here to book a real estate possibility call with me today.
