I’m a self-proclaimed minimalist. Not in an “all my possessions fit in one suitcase” way, but in a “having only what we use and love makes life better” way. I first minimized six years ago, and love our family’s life with less clutter and distractions. If I were starting again from scratch, here’s the process I would use.
Start with the easy decisions. Trash and broken items are quick yeses to build momentum. Walk around your home with a garbage bag and pick up any trash you come across; this can range from empty food wrappers and drink containers to old magazines you won’t read to broken kids toys. Many people want to donate everything, but if it’s not in good enough shape to give to a friend, just trash it. Before moving on to the next step, take the trash bag to the bin.
Next, put everything in your home in their “neighborhoods”. At the beginning of this process it’s unlikely that every item in your house will have a designated spot, so just get it in the right area. Dishes and cups laying around go in the kitchen, laundry goes in hampers or the into the first load of laundry, kids toys in their rooms or the playroom if you have one, etc. If there is a back-log of dishes and laundry, get the dishwasher and washer started on the first load.
Once everything is in the right general area, go room by room making quick decisions – if it’s not an immediate keep, it’s a donate. If it’s no longer serving your family, don’t let it take up space in your home; an item earns its rent by being useful. If you’re struggling with overwhelm in a specific room, start with a smaller category. For instance, do mugs, drinking glasses, dish ware, cookware, serving ware, linens in the kitchen. Do clothes, linens, books, toys for kids rooms. Break your own wardrobe down into categories like sweaters, t-shirts, jeans, jackets, and dresses. For now, skip the hard decisions or sentimental categories – the goal here is to make a large impact to keep your motivation high. As you fill boxes or bags with donations, place them in your car to avoid second guessing your decisions. If you are prone to keeping things, try to donate them as soon as possible – if not, consider putting them in a holding space like the garage until the next Pahrump Mother’s Corner Swap! At the end of this step, the majority of the remaining items should have a designated home.
This may seem like an odd suggestion, but once you’ve done the initial, large clean-out take a break for two to four days. Really pay attention to how much easier your home is to maintain and how much less stressful life is. If you find more easy yeses to get rid of during this time, go ahead and donate or throw them away.
Once you’ve mentally cemented how beneficial living with less is, move onto the tougher decisions. This category will vary widely per person. I have no trouble passing on all outgrown baby clothes, but another mom might need time to sit down and pick out her favorite two to keep first. Someone else may be able to tell which photos they want to keep at a glance, but I needed time to scan & sort them before letting go. The important thing here is to keep the best – not in terms of quality or cost, but in how the items make you feel.
Decluttering is a never ending process – goodie bag toys, craft projects, and outgrown clothes and shoes seem to appear by magic in this phase of life. However, once the initial clear-out is done, a clutter-free home is much easier to maintain.
Disclaimer/Reality Check: My initial clear out was a very stuffed trash bin, eight full SUV loads taken to Salvation Army, and many items sold over facebook marketplace over the course of a week. At the time I only had one teeny-tiny baby, so it wasn’t even kid-stuff that was the issue – it was purely me. Decluttering takes time & effort, but I really think it’s worth it; there is so much more to life than material things. This column will be about motherhood, parenting, and homemaking for the most part. Sometimes it’ll have toddler craft ideas, other times it might be a remake of a classic kids song or the ABCs re-written into rap. Most importantly, I don’t ever want this column to make another mama think she’s not doing enough. If you’re reading this, I want you to know that you are, you’re doing great, keep it up. Sing it with me: no-one is doing it allllll!
About Mackayla
Mackayla Turley is a married stay-at-home mom of three young kids in Pahrump, Nevada. She enjoys drinking coffee, reading, baking, and exercise as well as running a local moms group, Pahrump Mother’s Corner. Her friends describe her as a cheerleader, a giver, a minimalist, and an extrovert. She can be reached at pahrumpmotherscorner@runbox.com.
