Step 6 for an Extraordinary Life: Make Space
Joanna Gaines of Fixer Upper and I should be best friends. After reading The Magnolia Story I learned we have a ton in common. We love to cook. Neither of us wants to upgrade our engagement diamonds from modest to monstrous. We both lean toward introversion.
And visual clutter drives us crazy.
I can feel my blood pressure rise when the kitchen counter goes MIA under newspapers, books and whatever random items my kids drop upon it. I avoid my office space for all the piles. To help calm myself, I placed a kitch-y towel on our mantle to keep myself from losing it completely:
Repeat to self as needed. And don’t forget to breath.
We’re only human, right? Stuff accumulates and multiplies to fit the available space. That’s the way it is. Which means we need to sort, dump and donate once a year (or more) in order to make space.
An extraordinary life isn’t mired in the material; if we are ruled by our things we can’t live our best lives. Simplification is necessary. Less stuff means less time trying to pay for it and maintain it. Less stuff means more freedom. Plus the gift of donation helps our communities and consignment supports local as well. It pays to make space.
A few years ago a friend of mine had a Facebook group for the 30 Bags in 30 Days Challenge, which, if you’re unfamiliar with the idea, it is a structured way to clear out your home, one bag at a time, for a month. Each day you tackle a place where accumulation is a problem and viola, space is made.
Here is the calendar I use to help our family de-clutter:
I love this calendar because it takes into account we have busy lives…it breaks down larger tasks into smaller ones. Instead of day 7 being “purge all kitchen cabinets” this job is spread out over four days. Of course, don’t feel you have to follow this calendar to a tee. Add/switch around jobs as they fit into your available time. You may find you already purged a space a few weeks before and get a day off!
So make space and feel lighter, less stressed and clearer of mind. This was my “before” office space:
Joanna and I are having a mental breakdown just looking at this…
And here’s the “after”:
Joanna and I love to go stare at the transformation. (Ok. It’s just me; she’s kinda busy with her newborn. But I can dream, can’t I?)
Take the time to
and reap the benefits of an extraordinary life.
