How I keep my home, mind and life Decluttered

Clutter, in my opinion, can only bring anxiety, stress and disorganization into your life. I don’t just mean physical clutter either. We also have mental clutter and social media clutter which can seriously bring us down. So what are some ways that I keep my home, life and mind decluttered?

1. ---

   Use a brain dump journal. This is a separate notebook than my bullet journal where I can write down things like grocery lists, blog ideas, reminders or practice drawing and lettering. There’s no need to keep this journal super tidy and clean. This keeps my bullet journal nice and clean and my brain a little more organized.

2. Don’t be afraid to use post its. I use post its a lot as a partner to my brain dumpjournal. In my house – I write down tasks for the day on a post it before they get into my planner (as sometimes they aren’t accomplished). At the end of the day, I recycle the post it with the days task. If something takes too long to be on a post it – it probably should be a monthly task for me (I’m extremely efficient normally).
3. After you purchase something, immediately put it away. If there isn’t a place for it – either create a place or declutter until you have room for it. After every time you use it – put it back. Sounds simple but this is really difficult for some people.
4. Similarly, immediately unpack after a trip. I literally don’t understand people who live out of a suitcase in their own home. Hotels have drawers and hangers because it isn’t convenient to live out of a bag. When you get home – dump everything out and immediately put dirty clothes into the hamper, clean clothes away and get your suitcase out of the way.
5. Commit to spending 10-15 minutes a day cleaning or straightening. I normally give myself 1-2 cleaning tasks a day and complete them while listening to a podcast or talking on the phone to my family. I would say it never takes me 15 minutes if I’m honest just because I stay on top of any dirt. Not only do I have fewer allergies, I just feel more accomplished at the end of the day.
6. Try to cut down on screen time before bed. Not only will it help your REM sleep, I find that being on my computer or phone can be stressful. There are so many places to check once I get going. From facebook, instagram, twitter, the news, reddit – I can keep going for hours. You don’t want to get into that mode when you should be winding down and resting. Instead – read a book, write in a journal, do a puzzle or sudoku – something that can relax you.
7. Wind down at the end of the day in a semi-ritualistic manner. I have my before bed routine down to a science. Shower, skin care, bullet journal, set alarm, read then go to sleep. My bad night’s sleeps come from when I stray from this norm.

Those are my top seven ways that I keep my mind calm and my life decluttered. What are some ways that you find peace of mind? Let me know in the comments below!