Less | September 2023

And wow! It’s the last week of September. I’m sure you’re all as shocked as I am. I’m here today to write about my word of the year, Less. Today’s post is a little different and doesn’t include a reflection from September. Instead, it’s an effort to look ahead to October. Will you cheer me on to reach my next goal?

When I chose Less as my 2023 word, I was hoping to do some major physical decluttering around the house. I’ve had a few flurries of decluttering but nothing consistent. I’d like to end the year knowing that I made a good-faith effort to make decluttering a habit rather than another goal to tick off my to-do list and move on, only to accumulate more things immediately.

I know that decluttering is a life long habit and that we’re continually making critical decisions about what comes into our homes, what stays, and what goes. And I’m hoping that this little plan of mine will kickstart the habit of shedding unnecessary and unwanted things.

I was majorly inspired by Torrie last month when she set the goal of being a Minimalist by 2024. I don’t necessarily intend to become a minimalist in the next few months but I loved the strategy she put forth in this post. She plans to go through one small area every single day until she she covers the whole house. So I scribbled out my own list of areas that needed to be tackled:

It is super messy and doesn’t include every single area of the house (see the right side of the picture, I began thinking about the basement and got totally overwhelmed and just left that blank!), but it’s a good place to start. Each checkbox represents a very small area to be decluttered, so it’s possible for me to tackle 2-3 areas in a short amount of time.

So here’s the goal:

By the end of October, I aim to have 31 boxes filled in (I already have one! That counts!). There are many ways to achieve this goal: I could work on one small area a day; tackle 3-4 small areas twice a week; take an hour or two each Sunday and go through 7 areas. Or anything in between. This is flexible.

My initial goal is to do one area a day to make it manageable and approachable and I’ve created a category within my October habit tracker to make sure this stays in the front of my mind. I may not be able to keep up with the daily pace but I’m really hoping to end each week with seven less areas to declutter.

Ongoing Inspiration:

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These are two of my favorite books on tidying and decluttering. I’m about to start rereading The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning with a friend and am excited to revisit Magnusson’s kind and wise suggestions for our homes. And I’m planning to look over my favorite bits of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up soon. I love the sections in which Kondo describes her own habits and rhythms.

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And these are currently my favorite vloggers on minimalism and decluttering. Links are in the captions with their pictures. They both provide a refreshing outlook on identifying what’s important in our lives and removing the excess. These videos keep me motivated!

Why???

I know I’ve written several versions of this, but here’s my current why:

It all boils down to wanting things to be simple. I want it to be easy to get to counters and floors for cleaning. I want our home to feel expansive and as though we have enough space (because we do). I want margin on shelves and room for energy to flow.

And one day I won’t be living in this house anymore, whether it’s because I’ve moved or have died. I don’t want all of this stuff weighing me down, making that transition difficult for me or anyone else. Taking care of it now is a down payment for the future.

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I plan to check in here every Monday after October 2nd with an update on my progress. I am hoping those posts will keep me honest and moving forward.

Thank you to Carolyn for hosting these monthly gatherings — it is so wonderful to have this gentle accountability and encouragement each month!

I plan to be back on Wednesday with a reading update. Until then – take good care!