5 Ways to Declutter Your Life and Organize Your Home

In this crazy, spinning-out-of-control world, you’ve probably uttered the words “I need to organize my life.”  Time flies and before you know it, the day is over. You’re plopped on the sofa, clutching a cup of coffee, looking around at the clutter, wondering how it got like this. Reading this blog, you will find my top 5 tips for decluttering your home.

Your cluttered life has distracted you and kept your daily pursuits from having meaning and purpose. How can you begin to rein in this ultimate distraction? The good news is that you can, and it all begins with relationships.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind”; and, “Love your neighbor as yourself”.

~ Luke 10:27

Medical research has proven that we lower our cortisol level and raise our good-feeling enzymes when we spend time with others in meaningful relationships. Research has also shown that prayer has an equally positive effect on our mental and physical health.

Clutter Creates Distance

Clutter (both physical and mental) creates distance between those closest to you and your relationship with God. If you agree that God desires intimacy with you – every single day -then how does the clutter in your life separate you from the abundant life God has provided?

Clutter Isolates

Clutter has a way of isolating you from building and maintaining meaningful relationships. Instead of constructing a safe space, clutter actually builds walls of isolation. You can miss the blessings of fellowship because of the shame and embarrassment a cluttered house evokes.

Clutter Distracts  

Our world and its material trappings will pull you into opposite directions. A disorganized life can put God at a distance because of all the distractions that clutter creates, and the temptation to love and treasure “things” rather than God.

Clutter Suffocates

Clutter piles suffocate your spaces, and this prevents God from releasing blessings into your life. Getting your life organized has shown to have the same effect as deepening relationships with others and with God. An organized life will produce the space and peace that comes with it.

The Christ-Centered Approach to Organizing

In my Bible study Organize His Way, we talk about the fact that “organizing is not about perfection; it’s about giving you access to the things you love and time to enjoy them.” That access creates opening for relationships – with God, your family and friends. Where you spend your time, with whom you associate, and even the purchases you make, will profoundly affect your eternal rewards.

In your struggle to loosen yourself from the entangling net of clutter, don’t lose sight of an important factor: it’s not about you. Above all, Jesus demands we love Him more than anyone or anything; following Him, trusting Him and satisfied in Him.

As a part of His body, it’s time for you to experience the joy of clutter-free living that enables you not only to succeed, but be blessed to live life to your full potential.

TODAY’S DEVOTION:

Let’s not allow clutter to distract you from what’s truly important – the people closest to you.

Make a commitment to deepen your family relationships.   

At the dinner table, use this exercise to spark discussions, which lead to more stimulating conversations and discovery about one another.

1. If you could only take 3 things to a tropical island for 3 months (and they had to fit in a suitcase) what would you take?
2.  What is your proudest accomplishment to date?
3. This week, did you meet anyone new? What are your thoughts about the person?

Make more space for living and entertaining

Become aware that your stuff can stand between you and your space to think and move.

As you de-clutter, the areas become open to invite others into your home and life.

1. Choose one space. It can be as large as a room or as small as the kitchen table. Determine what you use on a daily basis and seek to have those items easily accessible. For example, if you do not use your rice cooker often, place it into a less convenient area. Deciding what is used daily in your kitchen will allow you to prep more easily. Easy prepping makes for more healthy meals.
2. Remove objects that broken and likely to never be used. One would think this to be obvious, but take a fresh pair of eyes and examine the drawers and cabinets. You’ll be amazed how much we hang on to. Most likely these items were gifts that we feel guilty in discarding.
3. A place for everything. We bring every item into our home one item at a time. By determining the home for each item, we learn to respect what we have instead of taking our possessions for granted.
4. Decide what are truly the treasures in your home and keep those. God treasures His children very highly. By adopting His mindset, learning to treasure ourselves and the things that he blesses us with will shine a spotlight on what really matters. Play the treasure hunting game. When you have determined your treasured items that bring joy, then release and share with others those items you know will bless them.
5. It’s OK if your place is not perfect. God has asked us to delight in showing hospitality. We might worry that if everything is not perfect then we will be judged. Entertaining friends and family needs to be central to our relationship building. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of the good enough. Seek to create a welcoming space and let God move in your relationships.

Read more about how to Organize His Way, visit Eileen Koff Ministries