Order, Organization, Routine, Etc.

In my attempt to Do Less and clean more things off my "plate" and create a space that is sheltering for my soul, I am beginning a month of cleaning on 'one layer deeper'. My BFF and I often joke about finding things we thought had long been disposed of when we clean "one layer too deep." However, I'm finding that I need to clean on this level so that I can actually have things in order. So my home can breathe!

I'm doing way too much. I'm feeling very emotionally drained. I need a bit more organization of what we do have. I also need to make some deep purges for myself and with my family. We've gotten rid of (passed long, donated, recycled, thrown away) a lot, seriously. But even after all of that, there is still a lot left to be removed in addition to all the clutter that piles up on a day to day basis. (Oh, the piles!) I often feel like I'm losing my mind.

I read an article on Simple Mom entitled The Clutter You Can't See. It talked about relationship clutter, time clutter, body clutter & mind clutter. Areas of our lives where others don't always see the piles of mess we have but that are cluttered nonetheless. This clutter is sometimes harder to remove and adds to the overall pressure in our lives. There were some good suggestions given for how to de-clutter these areas. I totally see that my life has been full of clutter and I am SO ready to de-clutter!!!

I've been working on coming up with a routine for us that is flexible but consistent so that the things the must get done--can and the things that need to happen--will! On paper it looks so easy--translating it into real life is more challenging. I'm including the children more and they have daily chores that they must do to contribute to the good of our home. They've gotten to help out all along, but now I've made it a daily thing as opposed to a random activity.

Just the other evening I read a an article in a parenting magazine about how to organize children's spaces. I have to say I've read so many of these, looking for something cute & quick to help us get organized. All these articles are basically the same. I'm now learning that just like anything else that is worth getting/learning/doing/having--this is going to take time as well. And, something else that I'm seeing is that I do have time. Time is what I have.

So, how do I eat this elephant since I'm not a big fan of elephant meat? One bit at a time, with tipping sauce and some good company, baby! ;-) Anyone want to join me??

For the next month I will be taking my time de-cluttering, putting a little more order in our lives, getting in the flow of a more natural routine and being thankful for the time that I have to do so.

I found the picture at the top at: Apartment Therapy.