I has been what feels like ages since I have posted on the topic of Hope for Homemakers! And a lot has happened in the interim. We have a whole other human living in our house! And we have done lots of remodeling projects (ongoing, of course) in our home. And the housework and homemaking can still seem overwhelming some days. And I think it will always be so. But I am always looking for ways to brighten my day, to get things accomplished that make me feel like this homemaking thing is worth it.
So, I am ready to jump back in to our Hope for Homemakers community and I have a NEW book for us to work through together!
But first a little background on my selection: As I remember a lot of you in this group have trouble with clutter. Me, too! I just love the look of a clean, organized, clutter-free room. And I went through the house last year, at the beginning of the year and got rid of a TON of stuff. Which left me feeling much, much freer! But there are some trouble spots that I have been neglecting, ignoring…avoiding for quite some time that I am READY to deal with.
I started thinking about these spaces that are just not what I want them to be. Typically, they are the places where all the piles of stuff I can’t deal with today end up. They are spaces where my family could be living life, but instead they are filled with junk I just don’t need. And I figure it is time to set these spaces free from the clutter cycle they are in.
But, honestly: the project of getting them ship-shape is overwhelming. I kind of just don’t know where to begin. I know what I want in the space, but I lack the motivation and the plan to get it done.
I have a feeling I am not alone.
Is there a space in your home you are thinking of right now that fits this description?
That is why I picked our next book in the Hope for Homemakers series: Step-by-Step Decluttering by Sarah Mueller
I picked this book because I really like how Sarah presents the clutter problem as not about the stuff itself, but about the emotions that go along with the stuff. And if I am being honest the emotion that goes with tackling a big decluttering project for me is: FEAR!
I am afraid of how big the task is going to be.
I am afraid I won’t be able to get the space the way I envision.
And I am afraid if I do get it the way I want it to be, I won’t be able to keep it that way.
This fear has paralyzed me and I just avoid the projects I know I need to get done. Sarah’s book, Step by Step Decluttering is offering me hope for my homemaking dilemma by breaking it down for me into tiny bites. And I can only do tiny bites at this stage of life (nursing a 3 month old, chasing 2 preschoolers, and hoping to get dinner on the table). And reading her book has helped to relieve me of the fear (and a little guilt, too) related to my clutter problem.
I am finally ready to tackle my biggest clutter problems step by step! Are you?
Want a little encouragement along the way? I know I DO!
Here’s the game plan, Homemakers:
- Get the book – it really is good and worth it!
- Read the introduction.
- Pick the one space in your house you have been avoiding. It doesn’t have to be a big space. It doesn’t have to be an entire room. It just has to have the burden of clutter in it. It just has to give you that sinking feeling in your stomach when you go in there. (It is the one you are thinking of right now. You know it is!).
- Come back here and let me know you are joining us on the journey. Leave a comment and subscribe to the Hope for Homemakers newsletter (it comes out once a week).
Next week, I will share with you the spaces I will be working on in this clutter journey. I stepped in and took pictures of the space today and let me just say: this is LONG overdue! And over the next weeks, I hope I will also be able to provide motivation and encouragement to tackle your cluttered space one step at a time, with Sarah’s book, Step-by-Step Decluttering. The inspiration will come from the book, the hand holding will come from the Hope for Homemakers group.
Are you new to the Hope for Homemakers community? Welcome! We have a Facebook group that you can join to share thoughts, pictures, encouragements, and frustrations in a private forum, led by me. I can’t wait to get to know you! Just send me a request to join and I will add you as promptly as I can!
Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. That means if you click on them and make a purchase, you get a great product that I really love at no extra charge, and I get small remuneration for my recommendation.