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5 Steps to Simplify Your Life & Home

by | Apr 30, 2016 | Decorating Inspiration

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5 Steps to Simplify Your Life & Home

“Many of our decisions to add things we think we need in our home or will enjoy in life are the cause of additional clutter and stress. It’s become almost second nature in our culture to think we are going to enhance our life with something new when inadvertently we have made it more complicated.”

–Make Room for What You Love, Melissa Michaels

5 Steps to Simplify Your Life & Home

Clutter threatens to suck the life right out of us, doesn’t it?

We’ve added more debt by buying things we really didn’t need, we’ve created more clutter, we own more clothes, and we bring in more furniture and toys. Then we wonder why we are so disorganized and overwhelmed.

When I started to realize my own tendency to create and invite too much of what I didn’t even want in my daily life, I decided to make some changes by paying more attention to what was in my home so I could quiet the pace and chaos of life. I started being more intentional about my actions and what I invited into my life so I could begin to pare down and simplify.

What do I do everyday that complicates my life? What everyday decisions could I make that would make life more simple or some dreaded tasks unnecessary?

Decluttering our home starts with getting better with our decision-making process!

Here are five steps to start simplifying your life and home:

1. Avoid temptation

When you can, don’t go to places that will cause you to buy more stuff to deal with or tempt you with more decisions to make. Try consolidating shopping lists and trips so you don’t make multiple visits in a week. It’s amazing how much less you buy and how much easier your subsequent decisions are when you spend less time going into stores.

2. Simplify your daily options and choices.

If you are a busy person or struggle with excess clutter, you have too many decisions to make. Why complicate life with unnecessary ones? Instead of keeping thirty outfits in your closet, try to create five you love and use accessories to change them. You’ll save daily stress and lots of laundry! Instead of having four sets of dishes in various colors and patterns, keep one basic set in a neutral color and fancy it up with colorful salad plates or glasses. Embrace one item that has multiple purposes rather than several specialty items.

5 Steps to Simplify Your Life & Home

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3. Commit to making the simplest decision as often as possible.

Don’t rationalize a choice that makes life or storage more complicated. If you rarely use your food processor, give it away and don’t give it a second thought. Don’t even consider what you might do with it someday; just let it go. If you find you really do need a food processor on occasion, find a neighbor or relative who will loan one to you. Some decisions might sting for a week, but if you rarely used those items, you’ll soon forget what you gave away.

4. Make a daily to-do list and set home goals.

Defined vision for your day and home will keep you focused on what matters. When you have a clear task, you are able to bring less decisions and stuff into your life by focusing on and finishing what really matters to you.

5. When in doubt, throw it out.

When you are in the midst of a major decluttering project that make take weeks or months, you don’t have time to analyze every possible item. If I’m not sure if I want something or not, it has to become a firm, clear no. I don’t even let myself think about who else might want it or how much money I spent on it. If time is of the essence and decluttering is the ultimate goal, off it goes to charity.

***This article is adapted with permission from the new book, Make Room for What You Love (Harvest House Publishers 2016) by New York Times Bestselling Author Melissa Michaels. Make Room for What You Love offers practical strategies and essential tips for how to simplify so you can make room in your life and home for what you really love!

5 Steps to Simplify Your Life & Home

Find more decorating, homemaking, and organization inspiration in my bestselling books!

10 Comments

  1. Sallie

    Just got my book yesterday!! Yippee!! I’ve already taken a sneak peak – can’t wait to dig into it!

  2. Jean | DelightfulRepast.com

    Melissa, I need to get a copy of this book! Sounds very inspiring. (And I have a few people in mind I’m going to recommend it to!)

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Thank you, Jean! I do think it is helpful, so I hope you enjoy it! Thank you for recommending it to people you know, too!

  3. Jo Jo

    I’ve already received my book and almost finished reading it! So timely as we just moved into our newly built home and even tho purged mightedly prior to moving, I’ve been tempted to buy some new things…however your new book is keeping me in check! I know I am living already with the things I love and feel the luxury of having less but having what is needed and useful AND beautiful to us. Thanks, Melissa! ❤️

  4. Catherine Brown

    This is a great book.Would love to read it.

  5. Amber Clark

    I am soooo looking forward to reading your new book! It gets delivered to my Kindle tomorrow! Yay! :) I read your first book and have been following the blog. You truly have inspired me with affirming my desire to beautify, create, and renew while consistently reminding me to use what I have, stay in budget, and practice contentment. Your newest book touches me where I need it most. I come from a long line of people who never get rid of anything, because you might need it later. Add in two moves in two years, four young children, and trying to make room for parents to move in with us. All too often, I end up in frustrated tears primarily because I’m not staying focused on what is most important to me, which is raising my children. Both my husband and myself are supremely thankful for this timely book in our lives! Blessings! :)

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Amber,

      Your comment was so encouraging to me! I’m so very glad you have been so inspired and enjoy the other books. I can’t wait for you to read Make Room for What You Love, I hope it is encouraging and helpful. Blessings back to you, I’m so grateful for your kind comment. xoxo

  6. kathy anne s

    What an inspiration!! Thank you for your first book and now the second!!! Would love to win!!

  7. Beth Williams

    Melissa,

    I agree clutter is a joy stealer. My hubby and I are constantly getting rid of stuff. My thought is if I haven’t worn it, don’t like it or it doesn’t work then out the door it goes. A lot of my stuff goes to a local church that gives it away to less fortunate people in the area. I just love clean simple walls not cluttered with wallpaper or stuff. Your book sound exciting. I am happy God is blessing you with another book.

    Blessings :)

 

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