Simplifying Your Home + A Free Worksheet

Today I am sharing how simplifying your home is easier than you think. Plus a free worksheet to help you get started!

I have always yearend for a simple life. I have always had this picture in my mind of living a quiet life and working with my hands. For the most part, we do just that. Until recently though, I had no idea how highly simplifying your home could impact every single facet of daily life. It’s made everything from dishes and laundry to farm chores and gardening much more enjoyable. How, you may wonder?

As I mentioned in my Pursuing Minimalism post, I was ALWAYS frustrated with the house. No matter how much time I invested in housework there was ALWAYS a mess. Never ending mess. The same mess I just cleaned up. All day. Every day. I started feeling like a terrible wife and mother. I just couldn’t understand for the life of me why everything was so stressful. One day I had one of those light bulb moments and realized that we simply had too much stuff. I started trying to “declutter”, but it felt like I didn’t make any difference. This went on for a while until I just resigned to the fact that no matter what, the house would be a mess.

I couldn’t enjoy anything. The mess was almost always nagging me. I’d go outside to do my chores and the whole time be thinking about how many dishes needed washed, or laundry needed folded. There was no escaping it. I love working outside. I even enjoy cleaning the barns. Knowing I had to come back inside to such a disaster was crushing my joy. I knew something had to change.

No matter how consistent I was, I can’t keep the house clean if it’s too full.

Naturally, I started implementing cleaning routines, and tried my best to stay on top of things. No matter how consistent I was, I can’t keep the house clean if it’s too full. I remember thinking how much I’d love to open up a cabinet or a drawer and not feel overwhelmed.

Once I started REALLY simplifying, and actually letting go of things, the house changed quickly. My stress level has significantly dropped. I feel lighter. Happier. I find I’m more grateful for what we do have, and I no longer feel the need to constantly change things to be happy with the house. It takes less than 20 minutes to tidy up the entire house. All of this just by reducing our stuff.

Today I want to share with you a few ways to tackle simplifying your home. It doesn’t take a professional organizer (Plus you can’t organize too much stuff), and you don’t need to read all the books. You just need to take a good, hard look at your belongings, and be honest with yourself about how you live RIGHT NOW.

It doesn’t have to be complicated, but it might be hard. There have been a few decisions I’ve made that have been difficult. When I honestly answer the questions below, I can always make the right decision. That takes a whole lot of the pressure off.

Simplifying Your Home Made Easy…

Ask yourself these questions as you go about your home. Answer them as honestly as possible. Your home will thank you.

• Do I use this item regularly? if the answer is no, ask, Have I used it in the last 6 months?
• Does this item make me smile, or serve a purpose? (Laundry baskets don’t make me smile, but they do help me serve my family…that DOES make me smile.)
• Do I have another item like this somewhere else? Do I REALLY need duplicates? I.E. Sheet sets. I’ve lived with one set of sheets for our bed for years. When I take the sheets off to wash them, I HAVE to put them back on the bed if we want to sleep on a made bed. That means the sheets are washed, dried, and put back on the bed within hours. Instead of being washed, dried, and thrown in a laundry basket for who knows how long…The exception to this rule for me is the baby’s bed. I do keep an extra for those middle of the night emergencies.
• Does this item have true sentimental value? Do I truly love it, or am I keeping it out of obligation? (I’ve come across a few things that were “family heirlooms” in my minimizing process. I always ask a family member that I know will value the item if they want it.)
• Is this item necessary for my family to live our best lives right now? This might mean letting a piece of furniture go so the kids have more floor space to play in. Trust me, when you see how happy your kids are, you’ll never miss that piece of furniture.

Identify Your Trouble Spots

All of our homes have those places that collect clutter. The kitchen table, the countertops, the book shelf…anything with a flat surface, right? Tackle those trouble spots one by one, and come up with a solution to keep them clean. I promise you it’s worth the effort.

I have created a free checklist to help you in your journey of simplifying your home. I want everyone to experience the sigh of relief I have by simply reducing the items we own. It’s truly been life chaning.

Have you been simplifying lately? How’s it going? I’d love to hear about it below!

As always, thanks for spending a tiny part of your day with me. I appreciate you all so much!

Here’s an image to pin for later…