How to Declutter Your Heart and Home
Declutter.
Even thinking about the word brings up frustrating feelings inside me.
Don’t get me wrong, I love a clean house.
I even enjoy organizing.
But with 5 kids and a dog, it’s very possible that things won’t get put in their rightful place.
What does that mean for me?
Stuff everywhere.
Unorganized.
I find that all the stuff can literally make my house feel stuffed!
An unorganized house not only makes me feel cluttered on the outside but stressed on the inside. As I sat and looked at my cluttered closets yesterday, I realized that there are some issues that are cluttering my heart as well.
Because home is where the heart is, I want to make sure both are decluttered.
So how can we ensure a clutter free heart and home?
How to Declutter Your Heart and Home
Identify the trouble spots
When beginning any new project an assessment is always necessary to determine what needs to take place.
When attempting to declutter my home, I usually know that my closets are a trouble spot.
Closets are the place where junk is collected and shoved in a disorderly fashion to escape the view of potential visitors.
Although I know these are “problem areas” I tend to save those for last.
My main focus is usually on what’s visibly seen–living rooms, dining rooms, kitchen, etc. Those are the places other people see.
I tend to deal with the things in my heart the same way.
The stuff that is most apparent to others, I want to deal with first.
I want to address the behaviors, rather than the real issues, which are much deeper.
Those places are like my closets.
They are shoved deep into my heart, from past hurts or pains and are in danger of rearing their ugly little heads–unless I deal with them.
Just like my closets, eventually they will be opened and stuff will spill out everywhere.
That leads me to the next point.
Focus on one area at a time
Have you ever started doing a project only to get overwhelmed by the enormity of what lies ahead?
I can’t count the times I’ve thought about beginning something new, but when I began thinking about how long it will take or how much needs to be done, I give up before I ever begin.
The key to avoiding a meltdown before you begin is to focus on one area at a time.
Sometimes we are faced with an enormous amount of clutter that we have let build up over the years.
In these cases, this point is crucial.
We can begin asking ourselves what area really needs the most attention?
As I mentioned before, for me it’s definitely my closets. Yesterday, that’s exactly where I started.
I set expectations… I was just going to do my girls’ closets, not every closet in the house.
Starting small would make me feel confident I could complete what I was about to start. It took several hours, but by the time I was done, I felt accomplished and successful.
When decluttering my heart, this same rule applies.
If I begin focusing on too many issues at once, I can quickly give up.
Is there a certain issue that keeps coming up as you read the bible or in conversation with others?
That may be an indication that God wants to do a work in that area of your life.
Different issues will have different courses of action.
Some matters being dealt with may require prayer, reading the bible and processing with a trusted friend, while others may involve a more strategic method involving counselors or pastoral care.
Whatever the issue, you can be sure that once it’s dealt with, you will feel the freedom from the burden of clutter that has been occupying valuable space.
Assess the necessary vs the needless
When going through my girls’ closets, I assessed what I was getting rid of through these two questions: Do they need this? Will they wear this?
When determining what to throw away, I looked only as far as the next season.
If it won’t fit after the summer, it goes in the “give away” pile.
Some people tend to be pack rats.
I’m not saying that’s you.
But obviously there are enough people out there to create a reality tv show about it so let’s go ahead and address it.
If we haven’t used it in the last 2 years, there’s a good probability that it’s not ever going to get used again.
Let me just admit, I used to be that person who kept everything.
Like ev-er-y-thing.
It was so bad that when I moved 5 times, I brought boxes that hadn’t been opened since the first time I moved, which was about 9 years earlier.
Why did I continue to move things that I hadn’t used in years?
Because I had a problem getting rid of things.
By the time we moved into our most recent house I didn’t even know what was in those boxes, but I knew I didn’t need them after 9 years. I knew it wasn’t family treasures like pictures or memorabilia from grade school, so it all went in the trash.
I finally came to the point of realizing that carrying these things from house to house was taking up precious garage and attic space.
Similarly, there are things in our lives that are taking up precious time. I have to consistently ask myself, Is this project or activity pertinent or is it cluttering up my calendar?
I can fill up a calendar like nobody’s business.
Maybe you’re the same way.
But just because something seems like it’s good doesn’t mean it is. Paul says it this way, “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful” (1 Corinthians 10:23).
Sometimes we have to say no to good things, so we can say yes to great things.
What we call opportunity, God can be calling clutter.
Consistent re-evaluation
The key to avoiding clutter in the future is to consistently monitor our stuff.
Whether it’s physical or emotional, our stuff can become clutter that produces chaos in our hearts and homes.
As a life coach, I walk through this with women monthly. We talk about the priorities in their lives and how they can continue to keep them as priorities.
Many things vie for our attention, seeking to clutter our hearts, our schedules and our homes. Having a discipline of evaluating where we stand each month can keep us on the right track, reducing the amount of clutter that gathers.
How do you declutter your heart and home?
Do you have a method for keeping the clutter out? If so, I’d love for you to share it today! If not, I encourage you to try the points listed above. Decluttering your heart and home will not just produce more peace, but it will open up areas for God to do an amazing work!
Love these tips! I always try to “purge” all the unnecessary during the spring time, and it really helps (like you said) to do things one room at a time. There’s no sense in doing a complete overhaul just to be overwhelmed. It’s better to be focused and do one thing at a time. Thanks so much for sharing such great tips with us on #shinebloghop!
Thanks Maria! So true, I can totally overwhelm myself if I look at the big picture. I always have to break it down in pieces. Have a great weekend!
Love this! I so needed this tonight as I started the process (again) of decluttering. It’s easy for me to get overwhelmed by all the stuff…..but, I am determined to get rid of all the excess stuff and make our home a place of peace.
” Just like my closets, eventually they will be opened and stuff will spill out everywhere. ” I’ve had that happen before, and it’s not pretty! 🙂
You’re right, daily monitoring is best, both in our home and in our heart. It’s amazing how quickly clutter can build up when we don’t keep on top of things.
Thanks for sharing! 🙂
This was such a great post filled with wonderful analogies comparing the clutter of our homes to the clutter within our hearts!
I too am someone that is physically effected by visible clutter, but I have ridiculously cluttered closets where stuff IS spilling out.
I was convicted by a lot of your comparisons of closet clutter and the heart.
Great truths and insights here. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Karen! The sad part about the clutter in my house is that most of it belongs to my kids! I guess there’s a lesson to be learned there too…. Taking on other peoples clutter or burdens can ware us down as well! Thanks for visiting today!
Thank you for sharing these tips and honesty. It is so appreciated. I have Psoriatic Arthritis, Osteoarthritis, Fibromyalgia and possible cancer and I have become so weak that I have not been able to clean for the last year but then my allergies just kept making me sicker and sicker. I had to get up and do something to help myself. I am in pain constantly but i have found that just getting moving and just doing one thing a day in a spurt of 15 minutes makes me feel better not only physically but also emotionally and mentally and since I am now back in to God’s Word I feel more at peace than I have inn the past 3 years!
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The key is a to always start with your time with God and the rest of your day will be more productive and things will run much smoother and you find yourself much more peaceful even if it does not go well. I have to keep reminding myself not to let one bad event still my joy and ruin my entire day.
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I also struggle with perfection so if I cannot do it perfectly alot of times I just do not do anything and boy– do the things really pile up! So I am reminding myself not to strive for perfection or for the praise of men, but rather to just do my best and to do it unto God.
I’m so sorry to hear about all you have going on Karen! Praying that God will supernaturally heal you, body, soul and spirit. Thank you for taking time to read and comment today. Have a wonderful week!
Yes, I agree. Your tips are great! A question I ask if I’m trying to get rid of an item, but it seems glued to my hand is, “Would I buy it again today?” That usually does it. 😉
With decluttering the inside, God is continually working on us. Yet, we have our part! Less of junk means more of Jesus!
Great post! 🙂
That’s a great question Kelly! I need to use that too. Thank you so much for visiting!
I’m a pack-rat. I’m cluttered in so many ways that even just the word “declutter” is exhausting. Thanks for your simple reminders about why I need to keep at and get rid of the unnecessary in both my heart and my home.
Alisa,
These are such great tips and isn’t it funny how strategies for one are certainly just as effective as for the other?! Our homes and hearts are so deeply connected. Thank you for this message of hope. When we are overwhelmed by the clutter, life begins to feel hopeless. These strategies are steps toward filling our hearts back up with that hope! I just love having you stand alongside me at Moments of Hope! ♥
Blessings and smiles,
Lori
My home is in need of a de-clutter at the moment so your post may just spur me on! I find that my motivation for doing things wanes …especially when I see everyone else’s stuff hanging around the place…. even if my own stuff is in reasonable order. I can put systems in place but its then getting everyone to remember to use them!….At which point I get in to overwhelm and give up for a while and then everything piles up…. I know its a catch 22 sometimes… but I bet I’m not the only one out there that gets this way??? I know that my physical environment does effect how I feel….unfortunately the rest of my family are not effected so much by their environment! ( sigh) oh well… there are lessons in everything…namely don’t give up and keep on trying…
I was just having this same conversation with my husband the other day! I can organize and then no one else follows suit! You are definitely not alone in your desire to give up! =) Thanks for stopping by! Have a great week!
GREAT tips!
Thanks, Casey!
Great analogy and helpful tips for both our hearts and homes. Like so many, I tend to focus on what is seen but it is what is unseen than needs the tending more. I am glad to have read it at the beginning of my summer. I hope to spend time decluttering. Have a blessed Sunday!
I can be the same way, Joanne! Thank you so much for stopping by!
Oh, it’s the necessary verses the needless that gets to me! Letting things go that need to is hard – but that’s been something I’ve been working on this year! Good ideas, Alisa!
~Maryleigh
“An unorganized house not only makes me feel cluttered on the outside but stressed on the inside”…we are kindred spirits! Taking these tips to heart (no pun intended), particularly assessing the necessary vs. the needless…not so difficult in my home as in my heart. Thanks for this intentional challenge! Crystal~
Hahaha, love the pun Crystal!! I’m constantly battling the necessary vs the needless- especially with all my kids! They want to keep everything and I’m always trying to get rid of it! =) Thanks for visiting!
Alisa, I absolutely love this! Years ago, God showed me how I had a ‘closet’ full of hurts and I was using up so much energy trying to keep the door closed! He had me open that door and He went through all of those hurts – one by one – with me. I wrote a post about this…I’ll link to it on this week’s Grace and Truth…I will also feature this post of yours! Thanks for linking up with Grace and Truth. Be sure to stop by and get your “I was featured” button!
I love that, Aimee! Isn’t it awesome when God illustrates things so perfecting in a way we totally get? Thank you for sharing and featuring me today! I truly appreciate it!
Hello! I love this post 🙂 I’m a huge fan of decluttering. A number of years ago I moved from a townhouse to a tiny apartment in NYC and I really learned to purge! It’s very freeing to not buy so much junk, find things that are double-duty (it’s creative outlet as well!) and get rid of things that you don’t love. My new motto is: If I dont absolutely LOVE it, it goes (or I don’t buy it!). Coming to you from the purposeful faith linkup.
Me too, Leah! I can’t stand clutter! I love your motto- I probably need to adopt that one myself. I buy things and then end up throwing them away or giving them away- such a waste of money!! Thanks for reading today. Have a great week!
Great tips! I need to bring some of these into my home! We are rearranging things at the moment and our bedroom is like a bombsite with stuff waiting to go up to the loft! We are trying to make it easier to live in when bubs comes along! Thanks for linking up with #TwinklyTuesday
For some reason, my room ends up with all the mess when I’m reorganizing too!
Love these tips! I am the WORST when it comes to throwing stuff away. I say to myself “I’ll need this eventually”, but I never do LOL! And you are so right. Many times when my home is cluttered it reflects what is going on in my life. We need to constantly declutter both. God Bless
Thanks, Tosin! Me too… I used to be a serious hoarder. But the older my kids get and the more the stuff piles up, I’m seeing the huge benefit of giving stuff away or throwing it out! Here’s a great message by Craig Groeschel on less is more… I think you’ll enjoy it! https://youtu.be/SPD7aVR_1hw
Love your tips, Alisa! Thank you for these! I think my biggest tip is to involve the kids in the decluttering…especially as they’re a big part of the problem
Kara
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