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

I do, though......

Have stuff in my house that is not useful, or beautiful, to me.

And, I don't know why.

It doesn't make any kind of sense.

It's ridiculous, actually......having stuff in my house that I don't even like.

Too. much. stuff.

Not that you would come into my home,

look around and think,

"Woah! This girl has way to much stuff!"

You wouldn't think that.

Because, on the surface,

everything looks good.

My house totally looks fine.

I am most definitely NOT a hoarder.

I don't have tons of stuff lying around on floors

or taking up space on my couch.

My counters are not filled with needless items.

And I generally like to keep my dining table clear of tchotchkes.

Honestly, I keep my home fairly neat and tidy.

But, if you were to start going through my drawers and closets, and cupboards, and bins and storage rooms etc,

you'd start to see it a little differently.

You'd see stuff.

Lots of stuff.

Stuff that I don't use.....

or even want.

It's just stuff that has accumulated over the years, and for some reason,

I have been loathe to get rid of it.

I don't know why.

Maybe it's because for the most part, it's out of sight out of mind.

I'm not tripping over excess stuff.

And, it's not like I don't have room to store it, either.

I do.

At least mostly.

My closets are not overflowing.

But, they are full.

I don't have tons of shoes.....

but I do have shoes that I haven't worn in two years.

I have dishes I hardly use......

Sheet sets that NEVER get put on a bed........

And jackets that don't fit properly.

I have a collection of hotel shampoos and conditioners

that would rival the Hilton.

It's silly.

Anyway, there it sits; all my stuff;

in closets and drawers and bins and cupboards.

Doing nothing.

Just sitting there, taking up space.......

space in my home, and weirdly, space in my mind.

Sound familiar?

I'm guessing if you're reading this, it does.

It's frustrating, isn't it?

Having stuff take up space in your home and in your mind.

Here's the thing, though.

It doesn't have to be that way.

We don't have to live like that.....hemmed in by excess stuff.

Lately, I am drawn to simplicity.

Compelled by it, actually,

as it seems, many others are, as well.

It appears to be a growing movement.

Simplicity.....

Minimalism.....

Frugality.....

More and more, people are being drawn to it.

And, it is a good thing, to live simply;

to remove the clutter from our lives and homes.

“When you have cleared all of your clutter, you can be of greater service to those around you.” – Michael B. Kitson

The problem for me was,

Where in heck do I start???

Have you been there?

Do you know what I'm talking about?

It's hard, isn't it?

.....to actually know where to start?

It's hard to take those initial first steps

to de-cluttering our homes and our lives.

There is no easy answer except,

to just do it.

Which is finally what I did.

I just started!

I just opened my dresser drawers one day, and pulled everything out.

I tossed every single item on my bed.

Then I started sorting through it all.

I tossed all my mismatched, and holey socks.

I garbaged all the undergarments that were old and ugly,

and didn't fit properly.

I put clothing that didn't fit or that I didn't like,

into a box to be taken to the thrift store.

I put back only the things that I liked and that I actually wore.

And, I won't lie to you.

It was a little bit difficult,

trying to decide what to keep and what to toss.

Not the socks and undergarments,

but, the leggings.....

the ones my son gave me for Christmas that didn't fit properly....

but my son gave them to me!!!

And t-shirts and sweat shirts that I don't particularly love, but,

they do fit me, and you know,

what if I get rid of them and then I need them???

Difficult.

But even still,

even with the difficulty,

it felt really great to simplify that dresser!

And here's the thing,

that initial decision to go through my dresser drawers, inspired me.

The next day I went through my closet.

(That was even more difficult, but also, more rewarding!)

And the day after that, my accessories!

And actually you guys?

I've continued to go through a different section in my home,

almost every day since.

The results have been so very gratifying.

So much so, in fact,

that I have a proposition for you!

I propose that you join me in the simplification process!

Because you guys?

It is so much easier to walk a hard road, together.

So, here's the plan.....

This will be a two week process.

Each day, we will focus on one area in our homes,

and ruthlessly scrutinize, ditch and toss

(my friend Org Junkie likes to refer to it as a PURGE! I like it!)

all of the excess clutter that is taking up space and time

in our homes and in our minds.

It won't be easy.

Actually, it might be difficult.

But each task is definitely do-able,

and in the end, it will be so worth it!

At the end of those two weeks

our homes and minds are going to be so much

cleaner, clearer and chaos free!

What say you?

Challenge accepted???

If so, the challenge will begin this coming Monday.

You'll want to click the subscribe button at the bottom of this post.

That way, beginning Monday morning, each day for two weeks,

the newest task will be e-mailed right to your in-box!

And let me say this,

I want to see your progress!

For each day of the challenge,

I will post a thread on my Barefoot Warrior Facebook page,

where I'd love for you to post before and after pics of your daily task.

(Click the Follow me on Facebook button on my homepage so you can be sure to see the daily challenge thread!)

That way, we can all revel in each others accomplishments!

Look,

I know the overwhelm that can happen when you look around your house

and see the massive amount of stuff that needs to be done.

It's just better to have a support system.

And let me say this right now.

Even if you think you can't finish a full job,

do at least what you can.

Every little bit helps.

And trust me,

it gets easier!

Anyhow,

you need this.

I need this.

Like, we all need this!

Let's simplify our homes,

so that we can simplify our hearts and our minds,

and REALLY enjoy life,

and be of greater service to those around us!

Power on girls!

Don't forget to hit the subscribe button, and follow my Facebook page!

I can't wait to see what you accomplish!

For Day 1 of the Simplify Challenge, click the link below!

#simpleliving #minimalism #simplicity #declutter