A couple of you asked yesterday where did I keep the things for my bedroom that I'd been collecting since last July. I wish I had a fabulous answer of great storage possibilities. But as you can see from the "before" photo above, I do not have such answer. I had an unsightly pile in my bedroom.
This photo was taken last Christmas. If you look closely in the upper right hand corner of the picture, you will see my Walmart bags with the curtain rods sticking out of the top of the bags.
Also, mixed in this photo you will see our ski clothes plastic bin... an Easter basket... a summer beach bag... a basket of Christmas cards from the 2006 holiday season...bags containing gifts for the 2007 Christmas season... and a craft project I somehow tricked myself into thinking I'd have time for.
Like I said yesterday, my bedroom had become a catch all of stuff.
And do you know what I learned from getting my bedroom all cleaned out and prettified?
Stuff is a stealer.
Having all that stuff in my room stole space that could be used for a bedroom that functions well and looks beautiful. It stole my peace of mind. It stole a feeling of serenity when I walked into my bedroom. It stole the proper use of the room to be a haven for my husband and myself.
Had I any idea what I was allowing that stuff collecting to take from me, I would have cleared it out a long time ago. Sadly, I just walked over and around that junk and kind of became numb to it.
The rest of my house looked tidy and neat. No one but my husband and I knew all the junk was there. When guests came over, I just shut the door to my bedroom and the little messy secret was hidden.
But this room should actually have been top priority to me. This is where Art and I spend the majority of our time alone together. This is where we talk about each other's days and make our big life decisions. This is where we relax after putting the kids to bed. This is where we watch movies, read, laugh and love. This is where we retreat. And sadly, this had become a junk room.
But not any longer.
I have seen the light of how invigorating it can be to get the stuff cleaned out and the surroundings put in an orderly fashion that looks beautiful. I love it. Yesterday I found myself drawn to sit in the over sized chairs and soak in the order of the room.
I once heard it said, "Organization invigorates, disorder drains." I couldn't agree more!
Is there a space in your home where you are allowing stuff to steal the beautiful possibilities for that room? Write a comment below. Make the commitment to do something about it.
Take it from this naturally disorganized woman who has seen the light at the end of the junk pile- you'll be so glad you did.
33 Comments:
I have 2 rooms full of clutter. One, sadly, has no door so people see it. The other is my bedroom. I've been working on it slowly but I need to step it up and really focus. There is room. It just needs to be organized.
Thanks for that encouragement!
Amy
PS. However since one of our hop and shops where I showed a picture of my kitchen table, it is doing better!
Your bedroom really is awesome. I just want the size. I was showing my husband the pictures last night. We thought we had a decent sized bedroom when we were building our house..then we bought HUGE furniture that swallowed the space. I love my bedroom suite, but I could use about 4-5 more feet. Oh well..because of its size, I try not to keep it cluttered. It is off our living room, so people can see it too, so that is a motivater. My home office is a disaster though. I do shut the door on that. With everything in it, I don't know how to function. Desk, tall filing cabinet, end table w/ printer on it, gun cabinet, book case, treadmill, tv. The problem is that ALL that stuff has to be in there. I don't want my treadmill in the living room. My wish is for one of those room makeover HGTV shows to come over and rescue me.. Today I plan to get in there and clean off the desk...although I have a sick child home. UGGG...
Thanks for sharing with all of us!!
Blessings~
Alyce
I think we as Americans just have too much STUFF! This became apparent to me, as every day when my 4 yr old dressed herself, she took EVERYTHING out of her drawers and onto the floor. After a few days of this, I realized she just had too many clothes. (I didn't have guilt because I had purchased none of them, all hand-me downs from many friends with older kids.)
This time when I put things away, I literally took away and bagged up half the clothes. Now she doesn't do that anymore.
Now I just need to do the same with the toys...which I am guilty of buying!
That was the motivation I needed to get busy cleaning and dejunking the house.
By the way, your room looks wonderful and so inviting! Congratulations on getting it finished.
Blessings,
Pearls
Lysa,
My desk is the worst culprit. Everything that doesn't have a home ends up there. How am I supposed to put thought into my writing, when the thoughts look as scattered as the stuff on my desk?!! www.flylady.net suggests setting your timer for 15 minutes to tackle an unwanted job. We can do anything for 15 minutes!
Your talking about the junk in our house...made me think of the junk in our life that clutters our spiritual journey. It's that time of the year for spring cleaning...reality is it should be a daily practice. Then the joy and beauty on the inside comes forth to the outside.
Time to beautify this spirit!!
In His Graces~Pamela
"Stuff is a stealer"--amen! It robs and never fills anything but the corners of our bedrooms, dining rooms, etc.
Great lesson--and love the room!
YES....our bedroom is the catch all for everything that doesn't have a place. We had to downsize about 4 years ago...so our bedroom became the office, the homeschool room, the living room (we have a den but not a living room anymore, so the furniture landed in our room)...AND our bedroom. It is extremely overwhelming because we have NO CLUE what to do with everything because of space. I LOVED your room and thought it looked amazing. I am praying that one day ours will be able to be used only for what it is intended for...OUR RETREAT!!! Great post!!
Buffi
www.sadiesjourneyhome.blogspot.com
Sometimes the devil makes me think I am the ONLY ONE who lets their house get all cluttered up! Thanks for this post Lysa and also the other comments. I know you are right that clutter does make you tired and drained. I have tried using the "Messies Manual" years ago (I'm classified as a "Sentimental Messy" because I want to hang on to everything) and just recently came across the FlyLady website through Digging for Pearls' blog. Am I hopeless? Hopefully not! I just need to let the Lord guide me and show me what I need to get rid of and then just DO IT! If you're reading this.....pray for me please! I really need to get organized.
Thanks!
Marilyn
It is indeed my bedroom. I have said for the last 4 years that I wanted my room BACK.
After being pregnant since 2003 and having a sick child who would find his way to our room (sometimes he needed to be there so we could monitor him) I just gave it up to the kids and stuff.
But NO more, we transitioned the last litlle critter this past weekend to his new Big Boy Bed and my sick child has been HEALED!!!!!!
The other clutter is still there, but after seeing your pictures, I am inspired to break down all the baby furniture, sell it or give it to the church and START AGAIN.
The home office. It looks like a tornado hit in here, and, sadly, it's really all my stuff.
The bathroom tends to be cluttery. So do the kitchen counters. Oh, and I could really stand to put the laundry away a little quicker. Yup.
I need to cultivate a little discipline in mt life.
Flylady really helps with this! If any of you know about this, you'll know what I mean by "It all starts with the kitchen sink!"
LOL
Enjoy the relaxing bedroom-
Kim
If you were to see my house right now you'd think EVERY room was full of clutter! This is so NOT ME! The transition of going back to work has taken a toll on my house. I have tried to keep up with EVERYTHING and it's impossible. I wanted to prove I could do it all :o) Well, I'm waving my white flag and surrendering. Right now it seems impossible to make a dent in all that needs to be accomplished. I was one of those, "a place for everything and everything in it's place" supporters. Now I feel like I've lost my place in the shuffle of schedules, activities, work, church activities etc... This morning before coming on the computer I tried to make war on my kitchen - and I did work wonders in the few moments I had, but now I'm dashing out the door to work for the day. Problem being...when I arrive back home, I don't feel like starting in on all that needs to be done here too. Needing some mighty motivation!
I can't believe how quickly my house has fallen into untidiness. I only started to work outside the home last Fall. It doesn't take long for 'clutter' to enter our homes...or our lives. I am still getting up at 6am to have my quiet time with the Lord, so the Lord continues to work on de-cluttering my heart. Can't let that accummulate!
Blessings to you - and thanks for the encouragement,
Joy
My master bedroom has become that room for me for the same reason- I can shut the door and no one knows what's behind the door. As I've been working on it, I didn't realize how much it was and is still bothering me.
Now that we have a baby on the way, and I know that he will be spending so much time in there with us in the beginning, I'm very motivated. I should have valued it more for our marriage instead of waiting for the nesting instinct to push me into action.
I love your new room. Thanks for the inspiration!
: ) Becky A.
I just did that very thing to my bedroom. And my dining room, and my closet is coming up next. The kitchen will follow soon enough :-)
I'm afraid that pure laziness and lack of storage space brought me to this place. We just have too much stuff and no place to put it. Now I am very much in a toss-it-we-don't-need/use-it mode.
After reclaiming the space that I have, I can't wait to get to the rest of the house!
Enjoy your room!!!
Every room in my house is a stealer. Not because I have an abundance of stuff, but because I have a lack of literal space. Six people crammed into small leaves little room for little else. But even that little else has room for some purging. Thank you for the challenge.
peace~elaine
What did you actually do with all of the stuff that didn't belong in the bedroom??? I try to be organized and put things away as we use them but I guess we just have way too much stuff!! There isn't enough room for everything. But I will keep trying!!
What did you actually do with all of the stuff that didn't belong in the bedroom??? I try to be organized and put things away as we use them but I guess we just have way too much stuff!! There isn't enough room for everything. But I will keep trying!!
Are you kidding??? Overall our house is clean, but there are small piles of clutter and/or junk in almost every room. AND we have six people living in a modest three bedroom home fulltime, and we expand to eight at times. But we are taking steps...one day (when I find the time and energy) at a time. Yesterday, we reclaimed the desk in the living room! It had been bothering me for over a month, but the baby just kept seeming more important! Go figure! LOL
My bedroom and my closet... and my car is not to clean but I clean it and then have people that need a ride so I have to put the stuff I have in my passenger seat either in the back seat or the trunk... I have been working on it slowly... but I have to really find the time to be able to do it...
My current clutter spot is the future nursery in my home and I think it's a safeguard for my heart. My adoption wait is now 3 1/2 years long and I probably have another year in front of me. As we originally anticipated a 6 month wait many friends decorated their nurseries right away. Sadly another friend took her crib down this week and is changing the nursery back to a guest room purely for sanity's sake right now.
So, Hannah's room is cluttered but hopefully this fall I will be encouraged to begin the decluttering and redecorating process as I prepare for my precious daughter from China to come home next year!!
Until then, taking your words of wisdom and uncluttering little corners in my home that are holding stuff they shouldn't be. Giving myself a daily 10 min. challenge. It's amazing how much can be done in 10 minutes!!
Lysa,
My husband is a neat finatic so he helped me see the light on being orderly. With 6 children, though, this can be challenging and we are constantly purging and giving things away.
Right now I have a linnen closet that needs to be purged and reorganized. I have learned to view these "cluttered" areas as sin in our lives. How many times have we had a "hidden" sin and when we are around others we just shut the door and don't let them see it. But when God convicts us and we finally let it out, that's when He can truly cleanse us of our sins. So, I try to ask God to show me any hidden sins I may have while I am decluttering a room or a closet. Try it sometime, it's very enlightening!
Sometimes I feel like posting pictures on my blog of ALL my clutter spots, but I don't feel like depressing myself or people.
I have "stuff" everywhere. Some of it is TO DO piles, some is waiting to give away, some I don't know what to do with, some "I might just need this"...! Every counter, shelf, and lots of floor space has clutter!
I am the best procrastinator I know! But lately, I have come to the point of needing to declutter. I continually have a garbage bag in the closet that holds stuff for the thrift store and I've been using it quite a bit lately! I've been mostly keeping up with my dishes lately, too!
I have heard it said that the clutter in our home is a good indicator of the clutter in our lives. I agree with that. I find that when things are more cluttered in my life (like the past 6mths) it shows in my home. And now that I can see the tiniest bit of light at the end of the tunnel I am itching to have it flow through to my home.
Thanks for sharing the before pictures. It's nice to know I'm not alone and has encouraged me to keep plugging along!
~ Leanne
hmm, there is a pile of "to do" stuff for my hubbie on teh dinging room table that kind of throws teh whole room off. Adn our living room, well the couch has become a landing place for all our bags as we walk in teh door. Still trying to figure out how to handle that.
So fantastic!!
I still JUST love your bedroom... it's looks so romantic and classy! :)
I can definately let the bedroom get out of hand... sometimes it's spotless and other times (too many) it's...... uhhhh NOT!
That quote "organization invigorates, disorder drains"....wow that is SO true! :)
Our home is normally very organized because hubby and I both hate clutter: HOWEVER, I am just trying to survive the end of the school year. Even though the house as a whole looks neat, I KNOW about all those places where if you opened the door just a crack, it could be hazardous to your health! One more week of school and its all out war on this clutter...(your bedroom is beautiful!)
Yep, I totally agree that disorganization and clutter steal your joy. I have to get the husband motivated to get our storage room cleaned and organized. Then we can take some things from inside the house, that tend to pile up and make it more tidy!
I agree organization is invigorating. Half the battle of organizing is finding the right tools that will help you stay organized. I am finding that 2 is fun company to get big jobs done. It is also much more fun to organize someone else's house. I have enjoyed helping a friend get through piles of papers and organize her cupboard and counter to make more of a workstation. What really got us going was finding cute and matching pencil holder, mail holder, hanging file holder, small square basket and 81/2by 11 basket from Target. They are silver wire with flowers on them. I wish I had a picture. She now has her cute notecards on display and easy to find. We found colorful hanging folders and labeled a folder for each child.
I love what you did to your room. Walmart should give a referral fee.
You are so right--I know that clutter steals my peace and yet I seem to keep accumulating stuff. My house usually looks neat and clean, but I am aware of the pockets of clutter behind closed doors and the disorder truly is draining. Thanks for the thought provoking (and hopefully action producing) post.
Actually, a few months back you had the organization blog and that motivated me to clean out my spare bedroom that was harboring all of my clutter. It is the sunniest room in my house and I'd love for it to be a relaxing reading room - - and it is now.
I'm trying to figure out how to train my cats to pick-up , if only they weren't terrified of the vacuum...
Our bedroom is definitely our "storage room", and it's been bugging me for quite some time. I can totally relate!
There are 4 of us (Husby, me, a 2 1/2 year old daughter and a 5-month-old daughter) in a 2-bedroom duplex, so it's hard to make it look pretty anywhere when we're so crammed in.
I pray about it all the time! It's hard to be a full-time homemaker in a cramped, cluttered house when your identity rests so much on how it looks. (Which isn't Biblical, but something I need to get past.)
Thank you ever so much for your wonderful encouragements and thoughts on marriage...I've been married for 28 years and I have been blessed with patience...that's a must in my household...I pray that when the time comes and we have to say our last good-byes, we will remember the wonderful days that we had to show our love for one another.
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