At 41-years-old my husband and I decided to live our lives as we never had before…by putting ourselves first. In the past we would clutter our calendars with events that we thought we should attend, not that we actually wanted to attend. We would keep gifts from people that we did not like just because we didn’t want to disappoint anyone. And we would invite people into our home who did not necessarily appreciate our hospitality. Now that we have de-cluttered our lives we are definitely happier individually, with each other and as a family of six. Here are some of our recommendations for living a clutter-free life:
- Only attend events that you want to attend. If you feel that attending an event will lead to more stress than joy don’t go. There are many challenges involved in attending an event. Scheduling, getting dressed, socializing and arranging child-care. Only a few events are worth all of that effort.
- If somebody gives you a gift that you do not like either re-gift it within a few months or donate it. The giver must not know you well enough to be hurt anyway. Useless items can pile up in our homes and create unnecessary clutter. We deserve to have our homes look and feel the way we want.
- If you find that people are coming into your house with a jealous or ungrateful energy don’t invite them anymore. This is a big one as I used to think that in order for my children to be happy they needed to feel as if they had a large support system. Most of the people they were growing up around frequently saw their extended family members. But, if the energy isn’t right it can actually be a detriment to them.
With all of the extra time and space we can now enjoy each other. Our home is easier to clean without all the unnecessary items, we spend more time outdoors, we play more sports, and we have more time for friends and family whose company we actually enjoy.