Why Living Clutter-Free Can Feel Like a Vacation

Living clutter-free can feel like a vacation.

When was the last time you went on vacation? Where did you stay? We recently went on our annual family vacation, and we rented a very tiny studio condo. 

I will admit it.  I was partly dreading the tiny condo.  We booked it over a hotel room because it had a small kitchen, which was essential for keeping the cost of the vacation manageable while still eating good food. 

There was a Murphy bed for the adults, located in the living room, and the kids were sleeping on a bunk bed in what appeared to be a hallway/entryway.  I was convinced after a week, we would be sick of each other, have too little space, and likely wouldn’t have the tools we needed to cook the meals I had planned. 

I was so wrong.  The space was clutter-free, so it felt peaceful. 

Even though the living room was also our bedroom, we had more than enough space for our suitcases because there wasn’t too much other stuff.  There were empty closets for hanging clothes.  There were empty drawers built into the bunk beds for my kids to empty their suitcases, and the kitchen had everything we needed with room to store a week’s worth of groceries in the one cabinet left empty over the stove.

How was this even possible?!!

It’s simple really.  There was SPACE. 

When there are empty drawers, empty closets, and empty cabinets, you realize you can store the essentials and get by quite nicely.  I’m not talking about “getting by” either.  I mean actually thriving and feeling relaxed.

Here are my best tips to live clutter-free (so you can feel like you do when on vacation!):

Declutter and create empty spaces

Before you do any organizing, deep cleaning, or rearranging, you need to first declutter.  Decluttering takes time and effort, but it’s worth the energy it takes. 

The ultimate goal, no matter the size of your home (it could be a tiny studio apartment with the primary bed in the bedroom!) is to create empty space.

When you have empty space, you have room to stretch out. 

You have room to store your groceries.

The closets have space for your jacks.

The drawers will fit all of your clothes. 

Inevitably, with time, unless we have a super strict one-in-one-out rule, you will start to fill that empty space. By creating space, you give yourself time to expand and then you can manage it so much easier.

Future decluttering spurts become more attainable.

Minimize your décor

Our tiny condo had paintings on the wall, but that was about the extent of the added décor.  You don’t have to create a hotel room at home, but when you minimize your décor, it does make it easier to feel like you are living clutter-free.

For example, keep only the number of couch throw pillows that are useful, rather than so many you have to move them around simply to sit down.

Get rid of the knick-knacks that decorate the coffee table if you would rather just throw your book on there and use it as a place to play board games or to rest your feet during a movie (other people do this, right?).

Think of function first.  You can even make functional pieces beautiful. 

Make do with what you have on hand

When you are living clutter-free, sometimes, it means you don’t have every solution to every problem stored in your home (or garage). 

When we went on vacation, there were four pots to choose from for cooking.  Did they have every possible specialty pan to choose from? No.  Was I able to cook a week’s worth of food? Yes. 

Living at home, and not on vacation, you do have the luxury of having more at your fingertips.  However, do you need everything?

Can you borrow a specialty pan for the specialty cake you are going to make only once?

Can you rent a tiller for a day if you only plan to use it once a year in your garden?

Do you really need a toy room when your kids can play outside?

Could you use the make-up you already own rather than buy more?

Is a rice cooker appliance necessary when you have a good all-purpose pot?

Use it Up

When you are trying to maximize your space, it’s best to use up what you have before you buy more. 

This principle can apply to clothes, groceries, make-up, beauty supplies, craft supplies, hobby materials, etc.

There’s a recent movement in the social media world right now called “Project Pan”. Basically, it’s a focus on using your beauty products up until you hit the “pan” or the bottom of your container.  I mean, when was the last time you actually finished a bottle of nail polish before buying another color?

I’ve always called this shift in mindset the “use it up principle”.  It’s less cool.  I guess that’s why Project Pan took off, it has more of a ring to it.  😀

The concept is simple, commit to using whatever supply you own before you buy more. 

I’ve saved a ton in back-to-school supplies every year with this mentality! Why buy more pens or a new notebook if we have some in stock that are perfectly useful at home?

Slow the Inflow

No matter what you do, if you don’t slow the flow of new possessions, you will never live clutter-free.

Stopping the inflow of excess, unnecessary items will immediately change how your home looks simply because you aren’t adding to the pile any longer!

Sometimes though, slowing the inflow can be painful.  It will take time to build new habits.

Instead of going shopping (online or in person) on your lunch break, throw on some tennis shoes and take a walk around the block.  The sunshine will make you feel way better than a new pair of shoes.

Shopping is a pastime for many people. If you want less clutter, you need a new pastime.

You can also do these things to stop the inflow of clutter:

• Create a 72 hour rule. Put the item in your wish list; take a picture to save in a “wants” folder on your phone; or just see if you remember if you really want that item sometime next week.  Chances are you can wait out a lot of impulse shopping desires.
• Stop saving your credit card info on your phone/computer, and manually put it in.  This simple act requires you to think about your purchase a few seconds longer.
• Get an accountability partner. It can be your spouse, a friend, or someone online. When you feel tempted, call them.
• Look for free things to do, outside of shopping.

Then, ask yourself a few questions to see if buying the items in question is really necessary:

• Is this item something I want or something I need? Sometimes, we confuse the two.
• Do I have space for this item in my home?
• Do I want to maintain this item (clean it? store it?, fix it?, etc.)
• Why do I want to buy this item? This goes back to your needs/vs wants. You can want something and still buy it, but buy it for the right reasons.

Create simple habits

If you want to live clutter-free, you will need simple habits to help you maintain that lifestyle.

Start saying “no thank you” to unnecessary clutter.  Slow the inflow.

Create a regular cleaning routine to help you stay on top of your space. (Free printable HERE!)

Do regular mini-purges of your space.  Maybe you only have 5 minutes or 10 minutes to declutter.  That’s plenty of time!

Schedule a spring cleaning every year.  Breaking down a massive task over the course of two weeks is way better than trying to do it all in one weekend (although it would be a productive weekend!).

Living Clutter-Free

When you choose to live clutter-free, you are choosing a lifestyle that can bring forth a sense of peace and calm.

The changes don’t happen overnight.  It’s a lifestyle choice that takes time and the building of new habits.  If you slip, don’t stress about it.  Pick yourself (and your wallet) back up, and keep going!  Living clutter-free is worth all the front-end effort!