Declutter your home, Declutter your life…

My hubby and I are both Cancers in the zodiac world. We are known for attaching our emotions to “stuff”. I would agree that the hubby is probably a little more this way, but we both have a way of just keeping stuff based on memories surrounded by them. And on top of that, throw in 20 years of living together and 3 kids later and boy, we have accumulated A LOT of stuff!

I’m finding that more now than ever, it creates more stress and anxiety. All the saved art projects, kid’s clothes as they grow (16 years worth!), gadget instruction books, antiques/memorabilia handed down, holiday decor, things we “may end up using at some point”, heck-my wedding dress/vail that still has not been preserved, toys (OMG, the TOYS!), junk drawers of random stuff we just don’t need, shoes that we haven’t worn in 3 years (my running shoe collection is quite impressive), coffee mugs that have collected dust and just take up space -WHEW, ya’ll! The list goes ON! I’m sure you can relate on some sort of level, am I right?!

A few months ago, I decided to reach out to a professional organizer that came highly recommended to help me brain through some of our spaces. Sometimes an outside prospective can really make you look at things differently! My overwhelm and stress from just having too much stuff and living in organized chaos (as I call it!), affected other parts of my life. Walking in my closet with clothes I hadn’t worn in years, an overflow of bags, and no real structure would set the tone for my day and that certainly did not feel good. I felt the way I dealt with situations was a little bit like the way my closet looked.

Simply Jonathan is a professional organizer that guides you in letting go of the clutter so you can improve your life. And let me tell you-GAME CHANGER! We first tackled our closet- letting go of clothes I hadn’t worn in a while, the crazy amount of running shoes that had no life, items in bad condition and the ridiculous amount of bags that I was not using (like, WHY?!). After we decluttered, Jonathan organized my closet- our clothes by seasons and colors, rearranged bins/baskets so that it made more sense and gave our stuff a home. This was over the summer and I will tell you, we have done a good job of keeping up with it! Yay us!

Here are the before and after pics:

Before Christmas I had Jonathan brain through our basement, which was driving me NUTS. I feel that the basement became the “catchall” for all things we didn’t need and things we didn’t feel like dealing with at the moment. We had years of stuff stashed away that we never got rid of (again, WHY?!). After going through all the things with Jonathan, he labeled shelves, bins and made much better use of our stuff. When we need something or are looking for an item, we know where it is. Now, that’ll take a few hours off your week, right?!

I totally forgot to take before pics, but here are some after pics:

Decluttering my home has helped declutter my life. Instead of walking around in circles and freaking out about spaces I need to work on and organize, I can go about my day. I don’t feel as stressed out, which in turn helps me approach my day and situations a little easier. I can’t wait for Jonathan to come and help us in the kid’s rooms (YIKES)!

I’m not saying to hire someone to help you declutter (although it certainly helps!), but I promise if you find a space to get rid of “junk” and organize it every day, it will help to declutter your life! Having less stuff and more order in your home is where it’s at, ya’ll! And for those of you who just have a natural ability and knack for being this way, I do not understand you-haha! It’s a great way to be….some just have to work at it a little harder than others:)

I hope you are finding ways to improve your life-mentally, physically and emotionally! We are all growing and learning. I believe in you, know you have what it takes to be your best self and I love you!

Until next time,

Stephanie