How does your home make you feel? Frustrated? Stressed?
Mine did too (and you're not alone).
Going "minimalist" doesn't mean getting rid of all your stuff -
it means learning how to make the stuff you
truly value work best for you.
Can you relate to my story, below?
|
A few months after our first was born, my husband had to rush me to the ER [minus one gallbladder later, I’m fine!]. We were completely unprepared for emergencies and our families were 5+ hours away [by plane!] - thankfully at the last minute, a trusted neighbor and friend was able to watch our daughter.
As I came home and recovered, the embarrassment sunk in. Our house was a wreck and even worse, we were just putting up with it. Dishes overflowed in the sink, the toilets were frat-house dirty; I could go on but I won't. Can you relate? Our neighbor has 3 grown kids - I know she didn't mind the mess and was a new mom too a while ago. But the feeling of unpreparedness and embarrassment gave me the wake up call I really needed to make lasting changes for the better. Postpartum is hard and it's a time to go easy on yourself - BUT it wasn't just this time that I had felt like I was drowning. There were many other times in my adult life where I was totally lost when it came to managing my home. I wasn't getting basic tasks completed efficiently (or at all) and my house was stuffed full of things I didn't even really like or care about. |
I had heard of “minimalism” as a design style and thought of it as an empty room with a white couch, a lamp and a plant; how wrong I was! The more I learned, the more I leaned in. Minimalism is a tool to help you prioritize more of what matters to you and less of what doesn’t. Ditching the excess in a world of consumerism and retail shopping habits sounded pretty counterculture and backwards at first. But, as I started decluttering [not only the “stuff” in my home, but also the “stuff” in my head], I couldn't believe what happened. Not only did I have more time, I also had more space, energy, and money, too! I found the freedom that I craved - I didn't feel suffocated by stuff, buried under piles and frustrated by everything around me anymore. As I removed more things, I started implementing small habits, systems and routines to improve how our home functioned alongside the newfound breathing room and space. I was taking steps towards lasting, positive changes in our home, and I wanted to keep at it.
A few months after I started minimizing, we found out we'd be joining the Two Under Two Club and our son was born just a little over a year after our daughter. When he was six months old, we found out he has special needs and we’d face new, unexpected challenges. Minimizing and having a simple, easy to manage home significantly helped me in those first few weeks and months afterward; while we were anxious and stressed for other reasons, our home started to manage itself and run on autopilot - a welcome change from the past, and much needed during a time when I felt like I could only muster the bare minimum at home.
Baby steps made all the difference - two kids under two years old is no joke. I would do a little at a time every single day, and over a period of multiple months, we ruthlessly downsized the amount of stuff in or home by 75%. And you know what? I can’t think of a SINGLE item I donated or sold that I miss.
My goal is to have a functional, efficient and simple to manage home so we can spend time making memories instead of cleaning up messes. Our home isn’t always tidy, but it is EASY to tidy, and it takes significantly less time to do it than it used to. As our kids grow and interests change, our space evolves, too. Less clutter also helps kids; studies prove less choices = a less cluttered developing brain!
Anything I've created and share with you worked to help me feel more capable and confident, and I hope it will do the same for you. Progress over perfection is my mantra - I say it to myself every day!
Remember - small changes matter and have BIG RESULTS!
A few months after I started minimizing, we found out we'd be joining the Two Under Two Club and our son was born just a little over a year after our daughter. When he was six months old, we found out he has special needs and we’d face new, unexpected challenges. Minimizing and having a simple, easy to manage home significantly helped me in those first few weeks and months afterward; while we were anxious and stressed for other reasons, our home started to manage itself and run on autopilot - a welcome change from the past, and much needed during a time when I felt like I could only muster the bare minimum at home.
Baby steps made all the difference - two kids under two years old is no joke. I would do a little at a time every single day, and over a period of multiple months, we ruthlessly downsized the amount of stuff in or home by 75%. And you know what? I can’t think of a SINGLE item I donated or sold that I miss.
My goal is to have a functional, efficient and simple to manage home so we can spend time making memories instead of cleaning up messes. Our home isn’t always tidy, but it is EASY to tidy, and it takes significantly less time to do it than it used to. As our kids grow and interests change, our space evolves, too. Less clutter also helps kids; studies prove less choices = a less cluttered developing brain!
Anything I've created and share with you worked to help me feel more capable and confident, and I hope it will do the same for you. Progress over perfection is my mantra - I say it to myself every day!
Remember - small changes matter and have BIG RESULTS!
Feeling inspired to get started right now?
Sign up below and I'll send you my free guide,
10 Ways to Save Your Sanity
in 10 Minutes or Less
[annnd a bonus - 10 Things to Declutter in 10 Minutes or Less!]
10 Ways to Save Your Sanity
in 10 Minutes or Less
[annnd a bonus - 10 Things to Declutter in 10 Minutes or Less!]
|
|
Get to know me, Michelle D. Hyduchak...
- From: Little Silver, New Jersey
- Current Home: Peoria (Phoenix Metro), Arizona
- Previous Home Bases: New York City, Rural Pennsylvania, Las Vegas
- Alma Mater: Fashion Institute of Technology [SUNY] - B.S. in Design + Product Development
- Married: To my awesome engineer hubby of 8 (together 14!) years
- Kids: A feisty 3.5 year old and a sweet 2.5 year old (plus our 5 year old chocolate lab)
- Pet Peeves: Rude people, bad grammar, invasion of my personal bubble [it's very large - ha!]
- Showers or baths? Showers
- Coffee or tea? ALL. THE. COFFEE. [but I'm actually getting into tea, too!]
- Morning or night? Night owl trying to be a morning person [hence the coffee...]
- Wine or whiskey? Cab sav, an Aperol Spritz or a Scotch, please!
- Current Home: Peoria (Phoenix Metro), Arizona
- Previous Home Bases: New York City, Rural Pennsylvania, Las Vegas
- Alma Mater: Fashion Institute of Technology [SUNY] - B.S. in Design + Product Development
- Married: To my awesome engineer hubby of 8 (together 14!) years
- Kids: A feisty 3.5 year old and a sweet 2.5 year old (plus our 5 year old chocolate lab)
- Pet Peeves: Rude people, bad grammar, invasion of my personal bubble [it's very large - ha!]
- Showers or baths? Showers
- Coffee or tea? ALL. THE. COFFEE. [but I'm actually getting into tea, too!]
- Morning or night? Night owl trying to be a morning person [hence the coffee...]
- Wine or whiskey? Cab sav, an Aperol Spritz or a Scotch, please!
