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Minimalism sounds sooo good when you read about it on a blog, watch a documentary on Netflix, or look into your child’s bedroom after an afternoon of playing (who am I kidding- the mess doesn’t stay just in the bedroom – it’s in the whole house!)

Clutter has gotten to an all time high around here. I could blame it on more kids = more things = more mess, which is true, but it isn’t the only factor here. Both Robbie and I are bad at throwing things away. We accumulate things we don’t need because we sell things on eBay for a living. Well, that and in life it is just easy to accumulate stuff over the years! Since selling is our ‘job’ we have a hard time donating or throwing things away that we know we could make a couple dollars on. It feels like throwing money away.

What is the real cost of keeping these items? They steal us from our time. Time we could be spending with people we love, doing things we love!

We take time to clean, declutter, and organize. Why do ‘things’ deserve so much energy? They don’t. The people and activities that we are passionate about in life deserve our energy – not things.

I recently stumbled across a book by Joshua Becker (from Becoming Minimalist): The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own. I am excited to read it! I just ordered it and can’t wait to dig in.

His story is pretty cool. One weekend his wife was inside the house cleaning, he was in the garage organizing, and their son was playing in the backyard outside. He realized at that moment that possessions were taking up his time and energy, when he should be spending that time and energy with his family.

It really makes so much sense. I spend way too much time picking up, putting away, and organizing. Andthe sad part is it doesn’t even look like I did anything! The house is a disaster a minute after it has been cleaned.

 

Since we have too much stuff, not everything has a home. Our dining room table becomes a catch-all when we walk in the door and the pile just grows. Then if someone stops by, the pile gets thrown on our bed with the door shut. Then once it is bedtime the pile comes back out to the table so we can go to bed. Am I the only one that has these floating piles? Does anyone else experience lack of storage for everything they own?

The problem isn’t lack of storage, but like I said earlier – just too much stuff! Last January I wanted to “get organized,” so I asked Robbie if he could make us some bookshelves next to our bed, instead of our small nightstands. We NEEDED more storage!  We ended up finding an entertainment center on OfferUp, painted it white, and put glass shelves in it (not shown). I really liked how it turned out!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a great idea in theory. A place to put the books I really like since I had to get rid of my large bookshelf to make room for another baby. A place to help keep things clutter free. And an extra place to store things! So awesome right?! Now look what it looks like today (and every day).

 

Well that looks nice and organized and clutter free. (Eeek!) That doesn’t add more stress to my day by looking at it. Something else I need to clean. Something else I need to organize. Really, it’s a bunch of somethings that I just need to get rid of. Oh, and did you happen to notice the boxes (of course from Amazon) on the top of the shelf? One of those is a shower head that we got for a gift LAST Christmas that I didn’t end up liking. We had intended to return it and there it sits. I don’t even know what the other box is. Something super important that we can’t live without I’m sure.

Posting this picture is not easy. I don’t want people to see my mess. There was A LOT of laundry on the bed before I took the picture, but I put it away (read: threw it in a laundry basket, unfolded), so you could focus on the bookshelf. (Or I just didn’t want to appear to be a complete mess). You also can’t see the amazing level of organization on the bottom cabinets of the shelves. There are actually alphabetized books and workbooks in there. Riiiiiiight. They are right in the center of the running gear I can never find when I need it, my essential oils, and unused gift cards to places we never visit (that we need to regift.) It is a scary mess in there too.

I would love to say the bookshelf was my only source of clutter. It’s not. My office is a trainwreck right now. I’m having to pay late fees on things because I forget to pay them because I don’t want to conquer the office! That is terrible!!! But it’s sadly the truth

I think sometimes it takes hitting a tipping point before we really do something about a problem. Robbie and I have both hit that point and I am really excited to read and apply the things in this book! Just read this line on the checkout page:

“Are you ready for less cleaning, less anxiety, and less stress in your life? Simplicity isn’t as complicated as you think.”

Umm YES! Less CLEANING?!?! Hello! That has my name written ALL OVER IT!

What about you? Do you feel overwhelmed by things? Are you constantly picking things up and moving piles around like me? I would love to read this book a long side of you! It is a lot more fun, and can be more successful, to do things in groups. This mom and wife gig is a fantastic one, but it’s also not easy. It is downright hard and overwhelming at times. I am so ready to lighten my load and spend less energy on things.  If you are in the same position and would like to read this book (and maybe others in the future) and apply these minimalistic, decluttering principles, come join our Maximalist to Minimalist Facebook group! It is a place to encourage one another to declutter, get rid of the overwhelm of stuff, and to share any trials and breakthroughs. This journey is a whole new one for Robbie and me. We are definitely the most opposite of minimalist you can get!!!

You can click HERE to get the book from Amazon

I want to hear from YOU!

Do you have a desire to minimize? What encourages you to do it? What stops you from taking steps forward?

 

Featured image and Pinterest image are stock photos purchased from Canva.com.