Okay, friends…today you’re gonna see the good, the bad, and the ugly side of Erika. 🙂
While I’m good at lots of things, one thing I do not excel at is constantly decluttering. That happens to be the key step in keeping a home clutter free and organized. If I’m constantly bringing new things into the house, then I should also be consistently taking other things out. My house is only so big and can hold so much. Right? It only makes sense. And well the truth is-I stink at doing this. My rooms, closets, drawers, and cabinets eventually look like they’ll explode and then I’m stuck with a space needing some MAJOR help!
Does this sound familiar to anyone?
I’m all about finding great resources to help me along the way. Through the years, these are some of the books I’ve read…
I LOVED this book! The author gives you practical ways to declutter spaces without taking hours out of your everyday life. She encourages you to use techniques that don’t leave your house or space looking like a war zone as you declutter.
I was super motivated to clean out all the things while reading this!
I don’t know about you but the hardest part for me is carving out enough time to take things out of a space-whether it be closets, drawers, etc.-then go through and declutter, and also reorganize your space. Depending on your area that can take hours. Most of us don’t have extra hours in the week to carry out that method. HAVE NO FEAR! This author explains ways to declutter without creating a big mess at the same time…hence the title, Decluttering at the Speed of Life. 😉
My only negative to this is I feel better about completing a space when I have taken everything out, gotten ride of things, and then put it all back. This would be the book I’d read when I need to do a little refresh around the house but not a full blown DECLUTTER EVERYTHING.
Talk about motivation…this book got me moving! I’m a list girl so I loved the detailed list of what to do each day…organize the junk drawer, clean out the refrigerator, etc. 31 Days to a Clutter Free Life is great for keeping us all on target. I’ve been known to lose momentum and just get half of my house organized. But with this book, you’ll want to keep going.
The downside with this one is even with using the list/guideline…it’s gonna take more than 31 days. Unless you have no kids’ sports, no job, no laundry, and can really focus ONLY on decluttering your life. I’d give yourself a whole lot of grace and turn this one into a three months to a clutter free life.
Ruth Soukup also wrote Unstuffed, which was a GREAT read for decluttering as well.
Okay, A Simplified Life is a gorgeous book. This is one I’d suggest if you’re looking for some good motivation to really go big in the organizational department in 2019. I started reading this last year and the first part talks about organizing your home. Being super motivated to get mine organized, I quickly got to work and then never picked up the book again! I happened to have two different girlfriends who were reading it at the same time and they did the exact same thing! I’m telling you…it’s super motivating!
I don’t think it gives as many tactile ways to organize your spaces…it’s more of a how to organize your entire life book. So, I’d suggest the other books if you’re really needing some help on what to do to organize your space.
I know lots of you have been Marie Kondo’ing your life at the moment thanks to her new Netflix show. While I’m not really focused on how much joy an item brings me, I do think once your home has been super decluttered and organized by sticking to Marie’s steps you won’t have to do a big overhaul ever again.
So basically her methods are my goal once I have EVERY SINGLE ROOM finished. #goals
I’m pretty sure every one of the books above talks about how much better you feel when your spaces are all clutter free and organized. I ONE HUNDRED PERCENT agree! I feel so good about a room or space when I have it complete. I told you I was sharing my bad and ugly, so let me be honest and give you a glimpse into what my office looked like right after Christmas. I was storing presents in here so LOTS of boxes, I was keeping every envelope so I could double check I had the correct addresses for my Christmas card list in 2019, and really the holiday busyness just left this space a DISASTER! Let me repeat…a DISASTER!
See for yourself…
My desk was a DISASTER! There were ALL THE THINGS around the room. It was AWFUL!
A peek at how organized these cabinets were…SO BAD!
Basically my office was a BIG HOT MESS!
And now the after…
AHHHHHHHH!!!! So much better!
I love this area for little knick knacks the kids make me. Lots of those items on the shelves were made during art class.
So nice to see the FLOOR!
I decluttered and had an embarrassing number of trash bags as well as recycled boxes to get rid of. I think it’s safe to say that I’m good on stationary for a while. 🙂
Everything has a place and it feels good!
I shared this today because if you’re stuck in a rut and looking for a little motivation I hope this helps! My hope is to periodically share a room or two with you to keep you motivated AND to keep me accountable. If you’re working your way through your home as well and need a little decluttering accountability, {I’ll be sharing mine here} feel free to e-mail me! I’ll be SO happy to be your decluttering accountability partner.
For real…shoot me a picture when you get a room all organized alittlebitofeverything83@yahoo.com and hopefully we’ll stay motivated to keep going from room to room until it’s all complete!
If you have any tips or tricks for how you declutter and organize your home, please share! And if you’re in the process, let us know how it’s going!
Happy Decluttering, Friends!
XO
Okay, your office looks fantastic, and I bet that FEELS even better. Nice work, friend!
After YEARS of struggling (and finally realizing that my small house situation was not going to change, I read Marie Kondo's book and it really helped me see what I need to be keeping. I have 3 kids, a 1500 sq ft house and we have 3 dogs and live on a farm. It's constant chaos and mess, so keeping our possessions to a minimum is key. I've didcovered, though, that decluttering must be done consistently all the time. I actually think it would be harder in a bigger house because it's easier to hide all the things!
Great job on your office. I am sure the transformation makes you feel so much better and having that serene place will make your work tome in their so much more productive and peaceful
I have the Marie Kondo and the Emily Ley book on my to read pile but haven’t touched them yet!
Your office looks great!! I started on our guest room closet this year and it feels so good to have donated, consigned (I use Threadup), and thrown away or recycled so much.
Have a super day!
http://sunshineandbooksblog.com
Ha! I also purchased and initially loved the Emily Ley book, only to relegate it to that area in my closet where I put stuff important to me but not actually using (probably should declutter that shelf!) Every morning when I get dressed I see that book and feel mildly convicted that I should finish reading it and actually do the things. However I definitely am working on this area – with 8 kids (6 still at home ages 16 down to 3) we have ALOT of stuff! and I feel like all I do is reorganize. We are moving this summer so I am really motivated to not move stuff we don't really use or need. Thanks for the encouragement and maybe I should look at one of these other books.
http://thoughtsfromthethreshingfloor.com
I am going through a house decluttering but I do keep up so I actually have to search to get rid of things sometimes. I do have a good system that works for me. I schedule a donation pick up on a regular basis so I know I need items bagged up for them on certain dates. Search your area, many places will pick up donations. I have learned to declutter and then organize. So I look to get rid of things throughout the house and then I organize. I do this because I often find containers in other parts of the house that I can use for organizing. While I am in full deckuttering mode I try not to buy anything new unless it is a need.
I am the opposite; I'm constantly organizing and decluttering. We just moved into a new home in the fall that isn't much bigger, but has a ton of storage space. Most of it is empty! LOL!!!
Your office looks fantastic!! Would you mind sharing where you purchased your lamp in that room and your rug? Love both!
A two story house makes it so difficult! Too many places to hide things. How do you stay on top of the playroom clutter? I try to toss toys twice per quarter.
I find when my home is clean and decluttered or especially my home office, I am MUCH more motivated and PRODUCTIVE! I don't get distracted by the messes. My OCD self needs a "clean" clear space to work! Yours looks great! Simply Tish
After I watched the Marie Kondo series I decided to start at #1 – clothing. I took her method of taking everything out and putting it on a bed one afternoon (so I couldn't go to sleep until it was done). I was surprised – I completed my whole closet and dresser in 26 minutes! And the amount of things I got rid of was AMAZING! There is nothing I love more than a de-cluttered house, now just to find the time to do it!
I'm 29 weeks today and the nesting is starting to kick in hardcore. I'm working on our closets this weekend and the office, aka storage facility, is next! This is all in between setting up a nursery though ha! Trying to get it all done but be realistic and give myself some grace. Thank you for the motivation to keep going! Can't wait to see more of your progress.
I seriously can't say enough good things about that Marie Kondo netflix show. I am so sucked in. I just love watching how Marie's methods transforms their home,but also their relationships. The couples always get much closer together and you can see how much happier they all are! I am so invested in these episodes. You have got to watch them.
Ahhh!! Yes!! Our office looked very much the same. I did a ton of decluttering this summer but the whole room needs to be redecorated. I'm going to text you a pic of my craft room "Before" in a minute. It was so bad! But it's so good now!! I'm terrified to put the before pic on my blog though. hahaha
That Inspired Chick
In 2017 I (& four others) VERY unexpectedly lost our positions with a large restructuring of our company. After a couple days of shock, I took a deep breath and realized, when would I EVER have unexpected time at home like this? So as I began my search and planning for what to do next, I poured myself into my house. Starting in the basement and literally working my way up, room by room, I began cleaning and reorganizing. (Our children were all teens then, so I had the house to myself during the days.) It wasn't only good for us in general because OH MY WORD the clutter we had accumulated in nearly 20 years in our home, but it was good for my soul to have that focus. De-cluttering and reorganizing gave me an unexpected, renewed strength. As our house became less cluttered, I felt more organized in general and could focus on where to go with my future.
I know this is a bit of a "deep" post, but it really is how I reflect on that time now. I love posts like this and thanks for sharing your pictures!