223 | 3 Things to Simplify Everything in Your Home & Reduce Overwhelm

[00:00:00] The goal. When we say a phrase like I want to be organized or think something along the lines of, I sure need to get this house organized. I need to get things in order. Those have a few meanings, but the big picture, that overall picture, that overall desire that we’re thinking is we have the desire to simplify.

We need to make things easier when we feel like, or we’re saying to ourselves, geez, I really need to get organized. Or if only I were more organized, if only I had things put together in an order we’re expressing that need for simplification, because a simplified home is what makes everything easier.

 The holiday season brings on a different type of stress. Maybe I should’ve said an additional stress because it adds to the stuff that we already are stressed out about. And the thing is that we have to do every single day. We [00:02:00] have these constant tasks. When we get into a routine with those, we can simplify those and make everything easier.

But with the holidays, especially if you are participating in events or parties and traveling, or have guests. Guests coming. even if you, you’re not gift giving and shipping and mailing and going to the stores and picking things out and placing orders and discarding boxes that come and opening these thing is wrapping thing is. They seems like there’s always one more item to go get. If that is what your holiday season. Is just a little bit of, that’s just a little bit of it.

I’m barely touching on all of the things that happen over the holidays, then. Even if we absolutely love this time of year. are excited by all of these things. As our stress levels rise, we have more to do more, to accomplish mortar, to fit into our already full days. So the stress goes up and up and up and up. Now the goal with organization is wanting to, to make everything easier.

When we are organized, we save time. We save money. Everything in our life becomes easier because we’ve simplified. being organized is something that you’re consciously thinking of. these are the results that you get when you’re organized. So whether that be because we know where everything is and we can always find what we need when we’re looking for it.

That’s a convenience that comes with being organized, the benefit of not having to run to the store because something was forgotten or we thought we had something, but we really don’t have it. We. No, because at a quick glance, when you’re organized, you can see what you have. You don’t have to dig through or check a few different places.

Organization brings order. You know what you have, you can look at a quick glance, you see it, you don’t have to waste the money, buying something that you already have. You don’t have to wonder if it’s there or not. You know, what is [00:04:00] available too, and you know what you need to stock up on. When you’ve taken the time to declutter and organize everything. Another benefit that you have is not having to store items that your family doesn’t use or things that you don’t want, but you had a long time ago, you were storing those. If you haven’t taken the time to declutter, you’re still hanging on to things that you don’t use, you don’t want, and you don’t even need anymore. Or, you know, that when you’re organized, it’s a way to prevent wasteful spending.

Because again, when you know what you have, you’re not buying duplicates. You’re not making a purchase to replace something simply because you can’t find it or you don’t know where it is right now. When we take that time and we organize, we aren’t buying duplicates, we aren’t buying more products when we think we don’t have them, but actually have a few of them. I know for me, that just happened with my gift wrap.

My gift drop is organized at a quick glance, the amount of Christmas paper, I could estimate what I would need to wrap for the holidays this year. So I got a couple extra rolls and also in another container, I was able to see that I had enough ribbons and bows and things to make the packages look beautiful. Those were fully stocked, but I was almost completely out of gift tags.

So that was something that I needed to pick up. And right now I’m at a point where I’m finalizing my wrapping. Most of my boxes that have to be shipped out of state have already been mailed. I have a couple of things left that I’m waiting on and I will wrap those, but I’m using the majority of what I have.

I’ll have a little leftover for next year. And I’m not in a space where I’m having to store all of this excess because I didn’t. By a bunch of stuff that I didn’t need from the very beginning. The bottom line is organization brings simplicity. It makes things easier when we take the time to organize, we bring in [00:06:00] that simplicity to our homes and simplicity is that ultimate goal that we’re looking for. Now you’re thinking, how can I make my life easier?

How can I feel like I have more time or that I’m not wasting time or that I’m not constantly stressed out. I don’t want to be stressed out and overwhelmed all the time. Is it really possible to eliminate the anxiety that just the simple anxiety that comes from daily tasks, household chores, like the things that are constant laundry dishes, toy pickup, general cleaning.

I’m not even talking about ma like the big. Deep cleaning, but that just general cleaning that needs to happen on a regular basis and the maintaining and the maintenance of our homes overall. The stress and anxiety that comes from that we can. Significantly reduce that with organization and good routines in our home and making sure that we removed the clutter as well. Of course, those things are possible. It really is something that you can strive for because you have the power to make this happen. if you want those results and you have to take the steps to intentionally make changes and Put forth the effort towards making these things happen and getting the result of bringing that simplicity to your home. The first part, when someone is like, I need to make everything easier.

I’m overwhelmed. I’m don’t have any organization. My house is a crazy mess. How can you help me with this? The first part of simplifying our home is, is really being problem solvers. How can you solve the problems that you’re having every day when the day to day stuff brings you those anxious feelings and those thoughts, and you would identify those as feeling overwhelmed, feeling like you can’t deal with another thing. Take a step back.

Maybe even take a deep [00:08:00] breath at this moment and realize you have the power to change all this. You are going to problem-solve your way through this. And when you do you end with the results of the simplicity that you are wanting to bring it to your home, you are going to a break simplicity to your home by creating solutions. And removing the clutter.

You have to get that clutter out of there. The number one thing is we have to remove clutter. Clutter is a huge stressor for us. Clutter causes stress for everyone, even if it’s not your responsibility to deal with it. Just being around clutter, it causes stress and anxious feelings and overwhelmed, but clutter is the result of delayed decisions and procrastination. clutter needs to be removed from our house.

You can follow a plan, you can follow a proof, you can follow a proven strategies. That is the best way to declutter when you want beneficial long-term results. The decluttering and purging either, either word, whatever you want to call it, getting rid of the excess in your home has so, so, so many benefits.

There are many episodes. I’m not going to get into the details of it here. But the relief you feel when the clutter is gone and you have space in your home where there aren’t piles of stuff. And there are things all over the floor and stacks here, and stacks there, you instantly feel relief and at ease and your stress levels reduce. So the first thing is what I just said.

Remove the clutter. The second thing it happens, would you have done the decluttering work? So as you finish up the purging, you get to this point where you have space available, you finally have space available, and this is when you can properly organize. Organizing is what makes it possible to do what I was talking about a couple of minutes ago, find what you need when [00:10:00] you need it. It helps you to be able to reduce the wasteful spending and to finally save time because you know where everything is, everything in your home has a home so that it can go back to that when it’s not being used.

That’s where it’s stored. When you get to that place where you have an organized home, that means that everything has a storage location. So things don’t need to be left out all the time. They can easily be put away because they have a place to go when they’re not being used. Once you’re organized and you’ve taken the time to do the first step, which was removing the clutter.

And then you get to do the second step, which is organizing your home already is going to feel better. And it’s going to be less stressful. And the third thing that has to happen after the clutter is removed after you’ve done the organizing. And sometimes we do this. Together. these steps kind of happen simultaneously.

They don’t necessarily have to happen. One after another, after another. The, of course the decluttering has to happen before you can organize, but S two and three can go hand in hand and that third thing, which is going to bring everything together. And this is what makes. Everything become long lasting habits. To replace the things that aren’t working.

So you want these habits because they’re going to keep up with the tasks and chores and responsibilities that are now some of the things that are causing you, stress, those things are causing you overwhelmed because it’s nearly impossible to get everything done. You always feel like there’s more to do.

You’re not living up to the expectations you have for yourself. And that is when the overwhelm sets in. You’re at max capacity, I guess you could say you can’t possibly take on another thing. So creating intentional routines. And a systems to maintain the organization and to bring in the simplicity because we’re going to simplify the tasks.

That’s the third thing. It’s those systems and [00:12:00] those routines, this is where the problem solving part really comes into play. And you’re going to use the problem solving skills that you have and rely on resources like the simplified home masterclass or challenges or podcasts or resources that are proven plan. Plans that work to create these routines. Because the routines you create are the solution to the problem.

The routines are, what’s going to make everything easier. If you are constantly picking up backpacks shoes, water bottles, random items that your kids bring in the house. And these things are common. Things that come and go all the time. So they’re entering the home. They’re leaving the home. They’re back in maybe for one night and then they leave again.

The next day they’re on the floor. They don’t have a place to go. They’re on your kitchen. Counters they’re on your kitchen table. They’re all over the place. When your kids have brought them home. they cause a big mess and this is something that’s driving you crazy. What is the solution to that? It’s a constant problem.

It’s annoying to you. You don’t like the mess. You have to come up with a solution. The problem solving here is what is the solution to these backpacks and shoes and water bottles and these random items. You are going to brainstorm. What could I do to solve this problem? One option would be adding hooks by the door where you come and go, and every child has a hook for their bag.

Maybe the solution is a basket and that’s where they put their shoes. When they come in the door or some type of a shelf in a coat closet or a linen closet, a designated shelf clear that off. And that’s where the backpack goes when it is not at school. It could be the same thing. They open one door backpacks, go on a shelf. Shoes go on the floor in the closet. [00:14:00] Make it simple.

You don’t want, you don’t need to over-complicate this make it simple so that people, especially kids can easily follow along. And then practice take the time to explain what you’re doing, why you’re doing it and come up with something fun, like a contest or a reward chart for your kids. Figure out what is going to help them stay motivated to go along with this and what are little reminders that can help them along the way.

How can that child remember to do these things? And you want to be consistent with this? At least for 10 days. Is there something fun that can happen after 10 days? Is there a little challenge? And that child gets to pick what is for dinner on a certain night, whoever gets to the 10 days in a row, sticking to this, putting their backpack up, putting their shoes, where they go placing their water bottle on the kitchen sink.

So it can be washed and filled for the next day. You get to set the, the rules of what has to happen and make this fun then before. You know, it, you are replacing the bad habit of dropping the bags on the ground, in whatever random location that might be putting the shoes all over the place, taking them off wherever, not having a designated place for them, leaving water bottles in the car, on the floor, not knowing where they are and these things that are, these are just simply habits because there was never an intentional routine set up for this.

So this is just what has happened. You’re going to replace this habit that. It, isn’t serving you with an intentional routine. That’s going to help your family. So not only does it make it aesthetically pleasing, and it’s going to help you reduce your stress because it looks better. And there’s not this extra clutter that is constantly changing from the coming and going. But it’s going to make it.

So you all [00:16:00] know where everything is when you are trying to get out the door, you know, where the shoes are. They were put back into the closet. They were put back into that basket because that’s the routine. Everyone is in, you know, where the water bottle is because it went to the kitchen counter after school.

And that’s just what everyone does. You get to choose how this routine needs to work in your home. It might be similar to what your neighbor does or your sister does, or your friends do. But it’s probably not going to be the exact same because your home is set up different. The layout of your home, the floor plan is different.

The space available to you. Some people have a mudroom. Some people have a tiny little closet. Some people don’t have anything additional in terms of space. They walk into their house. And there is not a closet. There’s not a shelf. There’s not a bench. There’s not space for any of that. How are you going to get creative?

What type of a basket can you put by the door? Where can you put hooks? What can you use instead? You are the problem solver, and you’re going to come up with a solution. That’s going to be the easiest to maintain. The results that you want. You’re replacing those bags all over the floor, the shoes, all over the floor, all that stuff.

With a new routine, a new system, that’s going to work for your family. It takes the same amount of time. To do the, put the bag on the hook instead of drop the bag on the floor. You’re not adding any time with this new routine. You’re simply replacing a habit with an intentional routine. And after some practice, that routine. We’ll have replaced to those bad habits.

You will have a new habit and the new habit is going to be serving your family by keeping things organized, keeping things out of the way, keeping things picked up. You always will know where these bags are, where these shoes are. And you don’t have to be annoyed and frustrated by these things [00:18:00] being out and causing a mess all the time. It’s simple changes like this. That brings simplicity to your home.

So you’re going to identify different issues, different stressors that happen throughout your day, that happened throughout your home and come up with the solution because you’re the problem solver. How can you find a solution to fix these problems? And come up with easy routines. That will be the solution. So you have to remove the clutter.

You want to get organized as well. Those are two important steps and the intentional routines. Those are going to keep things functioning, how you want them do these three things, the decluttering, the organizing, and the routines work together. They work hand in hand. You can’t really have one without another.

If you truly want a simplicity. Now we do this type of thing and the simple home habits, five week challenge. Each week I have you complete one de-cluttering project, and then we start a routine that makes it so that you can keep going and you can keep up with those decluttering efforts. Because there’s a few minutes, each day that are devoted to resetting everything so that the effort that you put in with the purging and the decluttering can stick. And you do this for a week.

And then the next week we do another project and add a, something that might take another minute to that routine. We go through five weeks. Um, and at the end of that, you have five decluttering projects completed. And five steps in a routine that help you. On this journey to simplicity, help you bring simplicity to your home so that you can feel less stressed out.

You can. Start to bring that simplicity in and feel what it feels like when things are easier and everyone is participating because now something goes on a [00:20:00] hook instead of on the floor. Now the dish comes to the kitchen counter or gets placed in the dishwasher instead of being left all over the house. I think those are my examples.

Think about what are the things happening in your home that you could have help with? What are the thing is that you could do? Are there toys all over the place? Could a five minute pickup at the end of the day or when you’re wrapping up the afternoon and moving on to the next thing. Could that be a huge game changer in your home where you’re problem solving and five minute pickup where everyone participates. what are the results of that?

How many toys can be put away? How can we get the house back to the baseline? Make it fun. Throw the pillows back on the couch, toss the, the blankets back in the baskets, where they go put the toys away in the baskets. Five minutes, put on a fun song, make it a dance party. You come up with the routines that work for your family.

The decluttering, the organizing and the routines are going to work together to change how you feel in your home to significantly reduce the stress, to take away that overwhelmed feeling of never being able to get caught up. Join us for the five week challenge, the simple home habits, five week challenge.

If you want to see how this works and you want guidance with this, the link is in the podcast description. Wherever you’re listening to this, you can click on SIBO, home habits, five week challenge and sign up for that. It’s super easy. You can follow along for five weeks. And that is a great starting point.

 Then go on from there. keep going. We want to get you to, to the simplified home that you are looking for as quickly as possible, as long as you’re going through the steps so that you can have the longterm benefits from this. I promise You could get going on this journey to simplicity and see how simple it can be to move from [00:22:00] overwhelmed and annoyed and stressed out to an orderly and organized home.