Summer And Simplifying

Summer is a great time to declutter and simplify your living spaces.

I was forced to declutter this summer during the first week of June. As part of our ongoing kitchen update, my husband and I had decided to have our hardwood floors refinished.

We moved all of our kitchen and living/dining room furniture out to the garage. And we moved our bedroom furniture into our living/dining room so the sanders could refinish the bedroom side of our house first. The next week, all the bedroom furniture was moved and the kitchen and living/dining rooms were refinished. While moving , I seized the opportunity to really look at every object I touched and asked myself, “Do we use it?” or “Do we love it?” I made several trips to Good Will immediately with trunk loads of goodies for someone else. 

Once the floors had cured enough to bring furniture back in the house, I did so very selectively because our spaces felt so much lighter and brighter with less in them.

I absolutely love having the clutter gone with less “stuff” around me. I even feel like more breeze blows through our house even though the size of the windows hasn’t changed. And I seem to have stayed in the mindset of decluttering because every time I pick up something, I’m still asking myself those two all important questions, “Do we use it?” or Do we love it?”

You don’t have to move any furniture to start this practice. You just start. With one item at a time. Designate a spot in your house where you keep a plastic bin or a paper bag that is meant to go to Good Will eventually. When it’s full, make the trip to get it out of your house. It is so satisfying!

It’s equally important to not bring junk back into your house. Before purchasing stuff, ask yourself the same two questions, “Do I need it?” or “Do I love it?” If you can’t answer those with a yes, resist the urge to buy it. Making purchases does release a little dopamine so find another healthy way to get that high.

Simplify your home this summer and feel lighter!