There are at least a few things you can probably eliminate from your bedrooms right now! Like actually this minute!! Here’s a couple of suggestions…
Random pocket junk
Try to make it a habit to empty your pockets somewhere that makes sense. The things in your pocket may be keys, receipts, lip chap, wallet, to do lists or grocery lists, possibly some restaurant candies… Whatever you have in your pockets, analyze the stuff. If most of it stays by the front door, empty your pockets there. If most of it is recycling, empty them closer to the bins. If most of it is easier to find on your nightstand, empty them at the bedside. The key is to deal with everything from your pocket while you’re emptying them. Don’t put garbage anywhere but the garbage bin. Don’t put keys down anywhere, but wherever the keys go. Sure, you may have to walk around your house a bit more – but you can always get more steps in! Plus, dealing with it right away means you don’t have that accumulation of random junk from your pocket that will never actually go back INTO your pocket!
Clothes that don’t fit
Keeping clothes in your closet that don’t fit is such a hard one for me to cope with. I used to have a wide range of sizes in my closet from all the phases or life events that my body has gone through. Recently, I have made a big push to get rid of anything that doesn’t feel great or fit right. When I am on top of it, having a well fitted closet makes any clothing decision a snap! It is a huge weight lifted off my shoulders, knowing that whatever life event I may have to deal with each day or week, I am ready for it with my wardrobe! No more trying on a million items just to feel like I have nothing to wear! Since you’re in the closet, why not go through your shoes too? You can even use some time to help the kids go through their closets. They get just as overwhelmed when they don’t have enough choice or when they have too much choice. Ease their burden and teach them to assess their clothing from time to time to ensure they are happy with their wardrobes.
Stop keeping all the pillows!
I love the look of half a bed of pillows in pictures of bedrooms. It does look very inviting. The more pillows you have, the more work making the bed becomes, the more work laundry becomes, the more storage you need, and the more you have to pick up the pillows off the floor or put them on the floor. Try picking a favourite accent pillow and change up just the pillow case from time to time or with the seasons. Try getting rid of all of them for a week and see how much you miss them or surprise yourself with how much you don’t miss them. Depending on how often you vacuum your floors or wipe counters, think of all the dust you may be adding to your bed every day!
Food
The kitchen and the pantry are where the food belongs. Try to avoid stashing food in your bedroom. It can only lead to bad things… like late night snacking, early morning snacking, and the potential for bugs! Any food garbage or waste should go straight into the garbage. Any leftover food from a snack should be put back into the kitchen or the pantry before you actually go to bed. Again, why not take the chance to get more steps, rather than say to yourself that you will do it later. Empty dishes should also be brought right away down to the kitchen. There’s no need to let all of that accumulate and turn into a disaster. If you know you won’t deal with it right away – maybe it’s best to have your snack time in a different spot of the house.
Stuff that just doesn’t belong
Any items that just don’t belong in the bedroom. Unless you have a newborn, you should eliminate ALL kid related items – clothing, toys, books, etc! If you’ve got stuff piled up somewhere just so that you can take it elsewhere in the house, just move it now! You are better off letting it sit in the hallway rather than your bedroom. You will gain much needed peace and tranquility for your bedroom without all that extra stuff hanging around.
Use your bedroom to calm yourself, to allow yourself to take a deep breath in and then breathe out the day and whatever came along with it.
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