The Big Picture Of What It Actually Takes to Have a Home That Supports You [Episode 243]

Does anyone else have moments where it feels overwhelming, no matter how much progress you've made with your home? I've been there the last few weeks, searching for a way through our upstairs bedrooms.

I've read dozens of books over the years about decluttering, organizing, and maintaining your home, but the reality is when I walk into a messy bedroom, I'm not sure what to do next and back away slowly.

Then I look through the Ikea website for organizational furniture, google how far away the closest Ikea is (it's 2 hours - every time!) and then realize it's time to make the next meal.

Well, after a breakdown (yep, it happened) follows a breakthrough, and in this week's episode, I'm sharing my recently developed framework that is empowering me to face these much-used rooms head-on!

This breakthrough led me to develop the four principles of creating a home that supports you:

1. Simplify - remove what doesn't belong in the room or isn't being used. You can throw it away, donate it, put it in a "time will tell" bin (thanks, Dawn @minimalmom), or put it in a different room of the house to deal with later. The point is only to have what you use in that room left.
2. Assign Spaces - everything in the room needs a home, but this probably won't happen overnight. This is a process of observing where things get left or piled up and creating homes right there or nearby that contains what might look like clutter.
3. Systematize - Establish when, how, and who will reset each aspect of your space. There will be dozens of little systems running inside your home, but as you build them slowly, they will become automated habits. Slow to stick!!
4. Personalize - if you are a natural decorator, obviously keep doing your thing when it works for you! But, for the rest of us, now is the time to make the space fit your style and reflect your values. You want there to be a payoff for walking to a clean space that feels inviting to you - not cold and sterile.

Each phase has a different focus and tactic to help you raise the standard of cleanliness in your home. If you keep trying to do phases 1 and 2 in hopes of having a house that stays clean, you might experience fight or flight mode like me whenever anyone takes anything out of a closet.

Moving through the phases takes time, and each room will probably be in a different phase - which is completely fine! The hope is that you will be able to identify where each space is at so you know what to do when you enter the room and also see the progress you are making more clearly.

In the last year, my values around home and parenting have changed. As a result, my time and energy are shifting to things that I didn't put as much effort into in my 20s.

I've realized that my home can play an integral role in actively living out these ideals and reflects our most important values.

When I created the Simplify to Soar Club a few years ago, my hope was that it would support me in becoming a Soaring Mother. Now I have more clarity about the work my home actually needs to do for us.

Listen to this week's podcast episode for more tips and ideas for creating a home that supports you.