I don't know if you have noticed this (I definitely have) but if you watch the end of a home television show or a magazine where they are featuring a house - EVERYTHING is perfect. They have a bowl of perfectly ripe fruit on the kitchen counter or maybe a beautiful flower arrangement in the living room. It looks so perfect.
But here's the thing - it's staged. Someone came in and cleaned that house and a decorator/stylist came in and made sure every little detail was exactly where it needed to be to look great. It makes us (the viewer) think it's how a house should look because there are elements that someone lives there. Maybe there are freshly baked cookies on the table? Maybe there are photos or people in pictures perfectly taken and in a perfect grouping? Any which way - these homes become our ideal.
Unfortunately, when we are decluttering our homes, we may also be putting that standard on how much we can clear away. For most of us, it's already overwhelming to think of letting go of some of our things. There is an emotional element to them that we may or may not be willing to face and we know that will be difficult. Then there is the sheer amount of stuff we have and the thought of that brings our anxiety up. So when we put these idealized standards on our efforts it's too much. The pressure to have it all perfect when it's done - it's not fair to do that to yourself.
My suggestion is to go easy on yourself and your home while you are decluttering. We live in our homes. They aren't going to be perfect every day and that's okay. We just keep making progress little by little and eventually, the clutter will become less and less until you have a home that feels calm and looks exactly the way you want it to.
If you want to clear the chaos in your home but feel stuck, I've created a FREE download of the decluttering system I teach just for you. This will help you declutter in a simple, manageable, and achievable way. Click here to download it today
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