I love that WordPress offers some writing prompts for those days when you just can’t think of where to start. Today’s prompt was one that I can actually think of a million ways to answer but the truth is that you can probably reduce clutter all around you.

We love this quote as we recently read it in our Laying Down the Rails handbook:

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.”
― William Morris

I try to look around me and remove the obvious clutter like trash and things that need to be rehomed (or taken back to their home). I also try to think about the things that really bother me about my space, home, or life. Then I try to decide what would make this area better?

I start by removing all the unnecessary items and then only replacing the items that are necessary to that space or the way I need the area to function. I don’t get rid of everything just yet because I might decide that this new arrangement doesn’t really work out as great as I thought it would. I usually place them in a shed or somewhere out of the house.

Sometimes I will see a need for an item to do a certain function but I usually try to make do with what I have on hand until I can be sure that the new arrangements are what we really want or need.

Then I reevaluate the changes… sometimes this may take a week or two or maybe longer to really see if it is working the way I had envisioned. If I need to revise things I try to do them during this process to get everything flowing as efficiently as possible. If things are too complicated then I need to make adjustments because our areas have to work for a variety of people, ages, and needs.

Once everything is set then I will look for items to replace any ‘fill-ins’ that I had put in place temporarily. I try to ‘shop’ our sheds or the thrift store first before buying anything new. I am always being blessed with items that we don’t need at the time but I will put them away for ‘later’ if I have a use for them in mind.

Once I find that the space is working correctly I can remove the unneeded items completely by hauling them off or donating them. At least that is the intention but I do need to get better at this step as my sheds are getting pretty FULL!

This is an ongoing process and it is a little easier when we look at things and ask ourselves if this item is beautiful, or is it useful? If the answer is no to these then the item is probably CLUTTER and can be removed from our lives.

Have a blessed day!