2021 has arrived and I didn’t begin the year with too many expectations. Our world continues to ride this pandemic wave and although things are slightly improving, I didn’t want to place any additional pressure or stress on my life.
One area of my life that I am focusing on is creating more simplicity around me. Lessening the decisions I have to make, spending less time cleaning and less time making lists of things I want to accomplish. Decluttering seems a sure fire way of getting there.
There are 5 benefits I’d like to gain from this journey to simplicity.
- Define my capsule wardrobe. Yes it will reflect seasons, but it will definitely have less things that I find myself keeping space for. I’m a mother now so my lifestyle has changed. I’m thinking a couple of kitten heels, flats, fall boots, low wedged or block sandals and sneaks should make up my shoe collection. Colors should be earth tones and black. As far as clothes goes I definitely feel that modest dresses, tailored denim, and workwear are a must. I’m planning on removing clothing that I don’t love from my closet and simply building back up with what I truly love. I’m in a new season of life and my wardrobe should chicly reflect that. One thing I’m not willing to do is compromise style. Since becoming a mom, I think I’ve felt like I need to try new brands of clothing and have been heavily disappointed in quality. I’m going to stick to my tried and true Express, Target and Abercrombie & Fitch finds. One of my goals in this area is to have a capsule wardrobe that I can pack up and take with me once I resume traveling with my family. I want to be able to look at my closet and only see articles of clothing that I am in love with. Perhaps I’ll document my searches and finds on the blog as I begin my quest.
- I’m also decluttering my social media. I am no longer following pages or bloggers that leave me feeling like I need to run and buy x,y or z. This can lead to anxiety inducing emotions and unsatisfying spending. So peace out advertisy bloggers. I’m not falling for the flavor of the week stories. Just this week, one of my favorite social media gals really disappointed me in this area. Two weeks ago I was looking into a vegan, clean mascara that she was promoting and this week she came out advertising a completely different brand. So as a follower, you lose trust if multiple products with the same purpose are being advertised. How was it that two weeks ago product A was amazing, and this week product B was equally amazing? As a consumer I want to know, which one is best. Where should I spend my hard earned money.
- Having less to clean by having more open space. I think one of the biggest mistakes we make is planning to organize the clutter we have. How often do we see people heading out to The Container Store or Ikea for organization supplies when the decluttering process isn’t even finalized? My goal with a more open space is to have less to clean and more time to enjoy said space. I want to utilize the time to blog, read and simply spend time with my loved ones.
- Having more time. I know I mentioned this in #3 above, but I want to gain time that would otherwise be spent bringing clutter into the home (i.e. shopping) or cleaning and organizing the clutter. As I’ve started into this quest of decluttering I’ve already noticed that I’m paying attention to things, like the ingredients and chemicals in everyday things we use. Sometimes drilling down to the basics leaves you with appreciating the simpler things due to their health benefits.
- I want to be able to pick up and go without overthinking things. I think this one encompasses points 1-4 above. I believe that decluttering gives you time to focus on things you love. I personally love to clean and garden, it leaves me with a feeling that my home is my sanctuary. By having less clutter to deal with, I can focus on these things as a method of enjoyment rather than viewing it as an added task. It also frees up your time. Giving you the option to utilize your leisure time. When the weekends or a day off work approaches. I want to be able to pick up and go. My chic outfit selection should be a quick decision considering the carefully crafted capsule wardrobe. The home will be tidy and neat (well as tidy and neat as it can get with a toddler living in it 🙂 ) and we can simply enjoy our retreat as a family.
Wow. This blog post came out lengthier than I imagined. A weekend ago, my husband and I dropped off about 4 boxes of our (mainly my) clothing and household goods at Goodwill. I’m invested in the process and will keep you guys updated. I think I’m more excited than my husband but nevertheless think that only good can come from my new journey.
xoxo,
the Sun Queen