Episode 26 - Simple Solutions for Busy Moms with Too Much Clutter, a Messy House & a Need for Self-Care - Intentional Edit

Too many toys, the house is a mess, piles of laundry everywhere and not any time for self-care. Busy moms, I hear you! This episode is all about where to start and what to do when you desire simplicity at home. Listen to Episode 26 of The Intentional Edit Podcast and find out simple solutions for too much clutter, a messy house and more…

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Full Episode Transcription:

There’s too many toys all over the place. The house is a mess there’s piles of laundry to do, and always laundry to fold and put away. There’s not any time for yourself. You feel like you don’t have time for yourself or for any self care busy mamas. I hear you. This episode is all about where to start and what to do when you desire simplicity at home. Listen to so 26 of the intentional edit podcast and find out simple solutions that I give you for too much clutter, a messy house, and so much more. If you’re struggling with daily tasks, clutter organization, and finding any sort of work life balance, the intentional edit podcast is for you. It’s time to, to stop the chaos and live with more intention. I am Lauren and I am here to help you declutter implement systems and maximize routines that remove the overwhelming unorganized parts of life. Bringing simplicity to your home. Come on. It’s time to create a life you love.

(01:01):

Hey guys, thanks for joining me for another episode. It finally snowed at my house. So I’m super excited to be looking out at white snow everywhere the last week or so. I have been doing some market research. I’ve been getting to interview moms, specifically busy moms, which I know you identify with these people have, let me ask them questions and have been really vulnerable with what is going on in their homes and what they need help with. And the message is clear. Interview after interview. What I’m finding out is for busy mamas stresses at an all time high, you are worrying about so many things. You have so many concerns. You have great desires for things to function better in the home. You are overwhelmed with laundry and meals like meal planning, what your kids are eating your kids, eating habits. If you are eating dinner around the table enough, or maybe you’re not doing it at all, and that’s something that you want to happen, you feel like you have too more of stuff in your home.

(02:04):

Maybe you did a little bit of a purge and some organizing before the holidays, but the toys came in. They are overtaking everything. And you feel like there’s too many toys, too much stuff. You don’t have time for yourself. You’re not implementing any self care. You have a feeling like there’s not any balance. They is just this lack of balance in life. You don’t know what to do. You don’t know where to begin, but you know that there are so many things that you could be doing. You might be searching for these looking on Pinterest, looking to Instagram, oh, and Instagram and social media. You are feeling overwhelmed and playing the comparison because the pictures and stories look so good. And like people have picture perfect lives. So you’re over the whole comparison. But you also know that there are solutions to the things that you’re having problems with.

(02:59):

You’re sick of the laundry all the time. You’re sick of the toys everywhere, the messy house, the dishes piling up. You know, there’s a better way, but you don’t know where to start. All of these struggles have solutions. You have to start by creating systems and routines in your homes. If you want to not feel so stressed out all the time, get some management on the things that are causing you. Stress the daily things, the weekly things, the laundry, the pickup, the dishes, the cooking and cleaning, managing schedules, things that are just a repetition in our lives. They will happen all the time. There’s nothing we can do to eliminate having dishes. The there’s nothing we can do to never have to do a load of laundry or put it away again. So we have to create systems and routines, which will eventually become habits around these things so that they are not a stressor in our lives anymore.

(03:54):

How you do this is by creating routines. If you haven’t listened already, I want you, you go back on this podcast and listen to episode 10. It’s about evening routines. If you can only implement one routine in your life, an evening routine is a game changer and it sets you up for success the next day. So I want you to go back and listen to episode 10. I also want you make sure that you meet me back here next week on Tuesday. It’s a tip Tuesday episode. So it’s super short. That episode is also amazing for this kind of thing, with routines and solutions and all of that. So make sure you go listen to episode 10. And then next week, listen to episode 27. The consensus is the at moms want solutions for simplicity at home because they want things to be effortless. Let’s take a step back just for a minute.

(04:50):

We focus on the things we’re not getting done. There’s a to-do list of the things that we’re supposed to accomplish in a day or this week. And if there’s 10 things on there and we do nine of them as people that wanna accomplish things. The one thing that we didn’t do is hanging over our heads. We have to stop doing that. It’s not good for us. It’s not healthy. And we have to be grateful and focus on what we did accomplish. Most of the things that you accomplish in a day are not things that are on your to-do list. Those things are important, but what did you do? What do you do every single day? Get up shower, get dressed, brush your teeth, eat breakfast, cook breakfast for the people in your home, provide food and nourishment for your children. Get them dressed, get them out the door, get them to school on time with their homework done and a pack lunch.

(05:45):

All of those things are super important to the overall wellbeing of the people in your family. Not to mention for long term, these are things that are important and we don’t give ourselves enough credit for the things that we are doing. We’re doing them naturally. And if we’re doing a good job, it’s probably because they’ve become a habit there. It was something that was a priority to us at one time, whether we knew it or it was a subconscious thing, but if you’re doing those things or whatever you think of that as an accomplishment, you are accomplishing so much in a day that you are not even aware of. So don’t beat yourself up for not finishing two items on the to-do list. You have to give yourself a little bit of leeway, a little bit of grace, think about and be grateful for and focus on what you are getting done then.

(06:37):

And then it’s easier to finish those other things. And it’s easier to implement the systems and make the changes that I’m going to talk about today. When something isn’t working at home, we have to identify what is not working. I could give you a, a million examples, but you pick one that isn’t working in your home. We want to create a, a system around it. That system will eventually become a habit. We want these good habits to stick. So when your system goes through its process, the you create a system. You put the effort in, you figure out how you will solve the problem. The is by creating a system that solves it, the system eventually becomes a routine or a habit. We know you want your home. And I want my home to run like a well oiled machine. If everyone is participating and we have systems in place, this is what happens because everyone is working on doing things just based out routine and habit.

(07:41):

If we go back to the laundry example, a couple of the moms that I spoke to in my market research were annoyed because the kids never put towels or laundry in the dirty laundry basket, or some kids put it in the dirty laundry basket, but they put too much in. They try on, they’re not really dirty. They decide not to wear them, but they still go in the basket or they’re getting a new towel every single day. They’re washing things that don’t need to be washed or the dirty clothes aren’t getting washed because they’re all over the floor. There’s a number of problems around laundry. And this comes up over and over again. And I think it’s something I think it is because it’s something that usually is part of our daily lives. When we have a number of people living in a home and a family that participates in a lot of different activities or is very active in and out of the house, we have dirty clothes.

(08:32):

We make laundry, it has to be done. And it is one of those things. It’s a repetitive cycle. We just have to do it all the time. If feels like if the problem is the laundry where the problem is folding and putting away the clean clothes, what is the solution, depending on your schedule, there’s a number of ways that I can come up with solutions for you for laundry. What is the best way that this will function? And we can create a system around laundry that works in my home. Functional home spaces always win. And the reason that functional home spaces are so important is because they make life simpler. We need to create functional spaces in every area of your home, little micro spaces. Maybe it’s changing where the dirty laundry basket is for the child who can’t seem to get the dirty clothes in the basket.

(09:21):

Maybe it’s creating a chore chart or a responsibility chart. It has to do with something with you. If you have little little ones at home where they can’t put away their own laundry. So it’s something you need to do. Maybe you need to create a reward system for yourself. We have to think in terms of making our homes function to the best of their ability for us, when our homes and systems are functioning in the way that they should function and to the best possible way that we can, that we know life becomes simpler. Things become easier. Everyone in the house know what to expect in terms of household chores, what needs to be done, where things go, where to find something taking care of yourself also means taking care of your environment. When I was doing my interviews, moms were saying they don’t have time for self-care self-care is a huge buzzword right now.

(10:13):

It’s so trendy. There’s so much pressure for self care. Selfcare is not the same for everyone. But one thing that everyone benefits from in terms of self care is taking care of your environment. That’s your home. Your home is where you spend most of your time. So no wonder that you feel overwhelmed and bogged down by the clutter and the mess and the routine things that have to be done when you don’t have these systems in place, a lot of women feel guilty if they’re taking time out of their day or week or month, or even if it’s just for their birthday to do anything for themself. And it feels selfish. That’s a whole nother issue. We have to stop that. If you are one of those people, start with the self care by taking care of your environment, your home, making it what you want and creating systems and solutions that work in your home for your entire family. You will bring down your stress levels. You will feel better when you are at home. That is a form of self care. Having this simplified home, you feel good in is so important.

(11:24):

If you are out and returning to your home, what kind of a home do you wanna come home to? I want you to take a thing minute and think about imagining your home. Not imagining how it is right now, but in the home that you want to come home to what looks different, what feels different? How does it feel to walk through the door? What is this home? That functions perfectly for your family? The home that you just envisioned, I know is not full of clutter and stuff all over the place and dishes to be done. When you walk through the door, you envisioned a home that feels good. It was probably calm and had a very content, relaxed, overall feeling. Your should be a sanctuary. It should be a place where you feel good. And when you are there, you can refresh and rejuvenate.

(12:19):

It’s a place to relax and feel safe. Your home should not add stress to your life. So you’re probably shaking your head. Yes, you agree. You want the home that is calm and content and refreshes that doesn’t require work all the time, or have an over abundance of things for you to tend to, what do you need to do to create the simplified home life? First of all, I want you to remember that you deserve to feel good in your home. There is a quote by Joshua Becker, who is one of the minimalists. The quote is something like the first step in creating the life you want is to get rid of everything. You don’t. That’s where we’re going to start. It’s not just the physical things. It’s everything in your life. You can do an inventory of what is not serving you and what is not getting you to the lifestyle that want to be living.

(13:15):

It’s time to start saying no to those things, removing them from your life. Most of the time, when we think about this, we think of physical belongings that are clutter, the things that we can purge and get rid of. And that’s a great starting point. Get rid of the physical things that are no longer serving you. If it’s not something that you are currently using, if you don’t want it. And if you don’t need it, it’s time to remove it from your house. So it can stop burning. You burning you so it can stop burdening you, whatever we own and have in our homes, it takes up our time. It takes up our finances. It takes up space, add stress to our life. If it’s not something we need, use or want, when we own less, that means less to take care of less things, to store less things, to clean, less things to pay for is a chance to reduce your overall stress and anxiety every single day.

(14:12):

Because once the things are gone, you’re not thinking about them anymore. They are not burdening you anymore. If you need help on how to purge or where to start with decluttering physical items, I have a couple podcast episodes that will be so beneficial for you. Make sure you go listen to episode three. And that is a guide on how to purge it is what I use in own home and with my clients and the people that I coach that are wanting more information on decluttering. It’s the same system. And I give it to you in episode three, make sure you go back and listen to that episode. 21 is another good one for purging and decluttering. Also episode five. And that’s a short tip Tuesday episode. All of those are episodes that you need to listen to. If you have purging and decluttering in your homes to do, if you’re listening to this podcast, I am sure that you need to get rid of some things so that we can move you to the, the home that you want.

(15:11):

That is that simple home with a calm, peaceful vibe. You’re looking for simplicity. We have to get rid of the things that are no longer serving you every once in a while, you’ll hear an organizer or someone say, if you wanna improve your life, then clean out a closet or get rid of a bunch of stuff. And the reason that they say at things like that is because oftentimes we hold onto things out of guilt. And when we hold onto things that we do not need, use, or want, they are holding us back, it’s sad to say, but we don’t realize that until those things are out of our house, until we have released them, we don’t realize what a burden they are on us and how much they’re truly holding us back. When you get rid of things, it is a release. You finally almost have a feeling of freedom.

(16:01):

And when I work with clients in person, they say that a lot. When I’m on return visits to organize other areas of their homes, I can’t tell you how many times clients say, oh, I feel so free. Now. This is so freeing because they got rid of the things that were in the way, when you get rid of the things, the physical belongings that are no longer serving you, then you have the time for things that actually matter. And that are important to you. Don’t wait any longer, go back, listen to with the episodes that I mentioned, give yourself that gift to feel lighter, feel the freedom, release the things that you don’t need in terms of physical belongings and clutter. If your stuff isn’t serving you, it’s not serving you up on a high shelf in a closet. It’s not serving you packed away in, in the garage.

(16:54):

It’s not serving you when you pack it away in a tote and take it to a offsite storage unit. It’s better off in the hands of someone else that actually needs that thing and will use it purging. And decluttering is the first step. Before you can organize. You can’t get organized. When you have an a of stuff that is not serving you. You’re not using it. That is always the first step. When you, when your home is not the environment that you want and you’re craving simplicity, you’re, you’re creating a piece routines. You want things to be easy and effortless. You want your family to contribute and you want more time for yourself. Then you have to start of course, with systems because the systems are going to be the solutions to the problems. The other thing we have to do from the very beginning is the decluttering and the purging, because you can’t organize until things are decluttered.

(17:49):

You can’t organize until you remove those things from your house. We have to get them out of there so that we can organize the space and create the systems that become the routines and habits to make you have a functional home. Once your home is functioning properly, that’s when you are at piece, you feel good. The stress is reduced. The anxiety is reduced. You don’t have as much things to worry about. Everyone is working together and stays on the same page to contribute. So the house is running smooth. You now know that a functional home comes from good quality systems, systems in everything everywhere, every room for every person that lives there. What are some examples of good systems, good systems, and routines. Sometimes those words can be interchangeable. Some examples that I can give you that will be in place when your house is functioning properly so that you have less stress are things like quick routines in the morning after school.

(18:54):

And at night that set you up for success for the next day or the next few hours. Things like doing laundry one or two loads a day and putting it away when it’s done, I study instead of it, backing up meal planning or, or creating some type of a meal system so that you’re only going to the grocery store once a week, possibly once every two weeks, if possible, creating reusable meal planning systems. I do coaching on that. I’m revamping a course on that. If you want more information, I can help you with a simple, simple meal plan that only encompasses recipes and food that your family will eat when you have to run errands and there’s things you have to do out of your home. One of the things that you will start getting into the habit of doing is planning ahead so that you can do things like hiccup the dry cleaning, or go to the bank drive through, or the ATM, or go get gas on your way to, and from locations where you pass by these places, or they’re not far out of your way, instead of making separate trips to do those things that saves you a tremendous amount of time.

(20:06):

When you add it all up, you have to get in the habit of doing in order, based on where their location is in terms of the running, the errands and that kind of things. Planning ahead, planning ahead is huge. Doing a weekly refresh and restock of the supplies that are used in your house. The stuff that comes and goes preparing the night before even doing a little prep to set you up for the week, looking at calendars, having joint calendars, getting everyone on the same page. So they’re aware what’s going on implementing this kind of goes with planning ahead, but it also goes with the routines, doing things like packing lunch the night before, or picking out clothes for the week or picking out clothes the night before all of these things are examples that I just thought of quick off the top of my head that happen in a home that has good systems and routines in place.

(21:06):

Once those things are functioning, because you’ve now done them for a few weeks, then they become habit. You don’t think about them. They save you time. They save you minutes of every single day. So you’re in the place right now where you feel like it’s a hot mess at home. You’re stressed out. You don’t know what to do about it, but you know that there’s something better out there. And for your home and family, it comes down to the thing is that I’ve talked about in this entire episode, we have to start with a purge, decluttering the things from your house that no longer serve you. If they don’t fall under something that you need, use, or want it’s time to get it out of there, we have to, or the space so that your home can function. Most importantly, we have to get those systems in place for your home, so that you have systems and routines so that everything can function and flow together to create the home that you’re desiring the peaceful tranquil home, where you have time to make memories and, and spend time doing quality things as a family.

(22:11):

I mentioned these before, but I want you to go back, make sure you listen to episode. Number two, about bringing balance and simplicity to your home. Episode. Number 3 21 and five are crucial for decluttering. If you can only listen to one for the decluttering and purging, go listen to episode three, it will walk you through a step by step process. All four of those episodes would be beneficial for you to use. If you feel stuck, grab a coaching session with me, I can knock out specific systems based on the problems that you’re having in your home in a short amount of time, we can walk through it together. Talk about it. You tell me what is not working. What is stressing you out? And has you frustrated and maybe even in tears on a weekly basis. And I will walk you through some options for systems that you can set up to put it into those problems you deserve so much more.

(23:07):

You shouldn’t be frustrated all the time. I, I want to help you with that. So if you feel like a coaching session would be beneficial, reach out to me, I would be happy to help you. You can also always reach me on Instagram. I’m at intentional edit on all social media platforms. Send me a direct message on Instagram. Tell me what you’re struggling with. I might just cover it in a podcast episode, or if we need do a one on one, we can do that too. Maybe I can just answer a quick question with a response. Contact me on Instagram. If you need me, I’m happy to help you. I wanna leave you with this good systems. I can’t emphasize enough. Good systems are the key to organization that truly functions for your home and for your family. So your home and your family are working together.

(23:54):

You have to simplify and have these systems to make everything function. Simplifying daily tasks and chores comes from setting up and implementing systems for almost everything. Let’s get those systems in place for you so that you can be in a space. You want to be at your home in your life. And I am here to help you with that. Thank you so much for listening to another episode of the intentional edit podcast. I will meet you back here next week, and that’s gonna be a good follow up at episode to this one. So you don’t wanna miss it.

(24:30):

Thank you for listening to the intentional edit podcast. If you found today’s episode valuable, tell your friends about it by taking a screenshot, sharing it on social and tagging me at intentional edit. I’ll be back soon with another episode in the meantime, find@intentionaledit.com and be sure to follow intentional edit on social platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook, to ensure you catch future episodes, click the subscribe or follow button. Now I am grateful for a five star rating and review from you. Be sure to let me know what you liked about this episode and what you want me to cover in the future.

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Lauren is the founder of Intentional Edit, a home organization and lifestyle company focused on consciously editing to create efficient and organized spaces. Lauren believes that a functional home that looks and feels good has a positive influence on all aspects of life. Creating systems that allow for the home to function more efficiently, therefore, eliminating most of the clutter and chaos is her priority. While trends come and go organization is always in style!

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