How does one small family accumulate so much stuff? I bet you’ve been asking yourself that question, ‘cause I know I have! We moved into this house about two years ago, and it felt like we got rid of a lot of stuff before we moved. But here we are, with a bigger house full of things and stuff we don’t even use on a regular basis. Of course, when we had the baby the house became full of his stuff, and oh man do babies cause a house to look cluttered. At least, the baby uses his stuff all the time, even if only for minutes at a time.
I’ve been wanting to do a decluttering exercise, I’ve even added that to my goals, but it just seemed so daunting. That’s what is so great about this book, Step by Step Decluttering. This book helps you break down that overwhelming wall and think about decluttering as a series of 20-minute exercises, rather than a total house overhaul.
I mean, I’m not losing this baby weight in one day, but over time with good eating habits and adding in exercise, I will continue to see progress. It is the same way with decluttering a house. You won’t do it in one day, or even one weekend, but with frequent decluttering bursts here and there, you will soon find your house looking better and better.
I loved that this book came with an audio feature option! I just can’t seem to find the time to sit down and read, but I listen to quite a few audiobooks or podcasts on my drive home. This book comes in two editions:
- Standard edition (ebook + worksheets)
- Community edition (ebook + worksheets + Facebook group + audiobook) <– this is my preferred version, of course!
Step by Step Decluttering inspired me to start with my kitchen since it really is one of the busiest rooms in the house. I cleaned out my entire fridge this weekend!
I’ve also been slowly packing up baby stuff that we no longer use to clear off the counters. I’ve still got ways to go, but small wins are how we make this happen.
If you need an extra boost in motivation, take the FREE 10-Minute Decluttering Challenge!
What room in your house is the worst? Do you plan on decluttering, 20 minutes at a time?
tori says
Oh man, I really need to do this but I feel like I have zero time. Between babies, blogging and work, none of the household chores are getting done! Lol. The worst room for clutter is definitely the toy room. We are in serious need of a purge! 😀
Tori
http://www.themamanurse.com
Julie says
Word! Same here, between work, baby, and my someday hopefully successful side-hustle aka blog, the house is just a disaster. Oh well, priorities right?
Samantha says
Ooo! I might have to get this! Clutter makes me stressed out and cranky, and I really want to go through all our stuff and start getting rid of it all!
Julie says
It is definitely daunting, so I like the idea of just doing things 20 minutes at a time, just one drawer at a time, it keeps focus on the task without letting you look around and see what else you need to do.
Healing Mama says
I’ve seen this book and I think I might need it. I really have trouble with clutter and organization. I love the design and layout of the book too.
Julie says
Oh man I think we all struggle with the overwhelm of stuff and keeping our house looking decent. Sometimes I just stop caring, until we have guests and then I’m like WHAT DID I LET HAPPEN? Hehe
Elle Spann says
I’m in need of a spring cleaning, for sure!! I have got to declutter my closet! It messes with my emotions, haha.
elle
Southern Elle Style
Julie says
Clothes are so hard to let go of though, wishing you lots of luck with that project 🙂
Jenni says
I’ve been decluttering recently – we have tiny houses here in the UK – and although I was attached to stuff at first, and often kept things ‘just in case’, I realised that I didn’t need all this stuff around. Now I put a box of things away and if I don’t use them in a few months and/or I can’t remember what’s in the box, I get rid of it.
Julie says
That’s a good way to do things, though some stuff is only used seasonally or on occasion. I think if you haven’t used it for a year it is probably safe to get rid of. I’m trying to allow myself to do that.
kid can doodle says
Gosh, right now my house is full of moving boxes that arrived over a week ago from Australia and I hate unpacking. Am in denial.
Julie says
I’m in denial about all the unpacked boxes hidden upstairs too!
Erin @ Stay At Home Yogi says
It is unbelievable how much stuff you can accumulate once you have kids! 🙂 De-cluttering through a program like this is a great goal!
Julie says
She’s right about the emotions involved in decluttering though. It is hard to let go of stuff.