Living With Less & Loving it

Nov 17

We all want it, but don’t want to put the energy into actually doing it.

It’s like wanting a six pack, you can read all the articles and print out all the workouts but until you overhaul your refrigerator and actually make it to the gym nothing is going to change.

For the past two years I have been conscious of my spending and have been trying to live as a functional minimalist. Only bringing in what is needed and really thinking about each and every purchase. This allows me to never have the feeling of “ugh, it’s that time of year again I need to purge and FREE myself of all my clutter”. It’s empowering to finally let go of that story and make daily decisions towards owning less.

I remember in the past I’ve told people I’m a minimalist and by some peoples standards maybe I could have been seen that way. The reality was I was constantly buying and then constantly purging. Hangers would open up and then within no time be filled again. I was always surprised as if I hadn’t done the shopping to fill them back up.

While working with my clients I continue to remind them of their habits. Not in a mom nagging way (sorry moms, I know you get a bad rep even though you are just trying to help!) but in a way to make them aware. My favorite part of each session is when the light bulb goes off and they learn a bit more about themselves. It’s amazing how little we know about who we are and what habits we have.

Once you simplify what you own, other areas of your life start coming together. You will stop avoiding tasks and just get them done. I’ve seen it happen with a number of clients, and it always makes me smile at how surprised they are with the internal transformation throughout the process of decluttering!

If you take one thing from this stop reading articles, stop thinking about what you need to do, stop making excuses. START doing. Pick one task, turn on a timer for 30 minutes and START. Or call me and I’ll put you though a little decluttering bootcamp. Looking at the mound of stuff you own isn’t going to make it disappear, just get in there and start letting go.. its liberating, I promise!

Organization Habits for Busy Professionals

It can be tough to stay organized for busy professionals but with some simple habits and routines, you can keep things in order at work and home. Here are some easy tips to help you stay organized.

Organizing Hacks for Apartment Dwellers

Living in an apartment can be a delightful experience, however, the challenge of limited space can sometimes feel overwhelming. Whether you’re a seasoned renter or new to urban living, these creative solutions will help you maximize your space without making permanent changes.

Tips for Efficient Basement Organization

Basements often become catch-all zones—places where random items go to live when they don’t seem to fit anywhere else. But with a bit of creativity and a game plan, your basement can be more than just a storage cave. It can be a functional, inviting space that adds real value to your home.

Creating a Productive Home Office

A thoughtfully organized workspace can significantly boost your productivity, enhance your work-life balance, and create a more enjoyable work-from-home experience. Here are some key insights to help you create your own productive home office.

10 Expert Tips to Declutter Your Home

Are you feeling overwhelmed by the clutter in your home? Don't worry, you're not alone. Many of us struggle to keep our living spaces organized and free of excess stuff.

Surviving Summer Break: 3 Tips for Keeping Your Home Organized with Kids

Summer break is an exciting time for kids, but it can also be a challenging period for parents trying to keep their homes organized. With children home all day, every day, clutter and chaos can quickly take over.

Conquering Organization in Your Kitchen

For many, the kitchen is the heart of the home. It's where meals are prepared, shared, and memories are made. But a disorganized kitchen can quickly zap the joy out of cooking. Imagine fumbling for ingredients, wrestling with overflowing cabinets, or battling an avalanche of mismatched pot lids. Not exactly a recipe for inspiration!

The Ultimate Guide to a Stress-Free Move

Starting a fresh chapter in a new home is an exciting milestone, but the process of packing and moving can often be overwhelming and stressful. From coordinating logistics to sorting through belongings, there is a lot to consider when planning a move.

The Power of Letting Go: Decluttering and Detoxing Your Life for a Fresh Start

In our fast-paced lives, we often find ourselves surrounded by physical clutter and mental noise that can weigh us down. However, embracing the practice of letting go can pave the way for a fresh start and a renewed sense of clarity and purpose.

Organizing Your Hobbies

Whether you're a crafting enthusiast, a gamer, or an avid collector, this month, let’s walk through practical steps to bring order to the chaos and make your hobby spaces a source of inspiration.

A Simplified Guide to Organizing Your Finances

Since we are at the beginning of a fresh new year, we want to take some time to dive into a topic that might seem a bit daunting but is crucial for a stress-free life—organizing your finances.

Creating a Clutter-Free Environment: Setting Intentions for the Year Ahead

As we look toward the new year, many of us find ourselves looking for a fresh start, aiming to declutter our spaces and minds. Setting intentions for a clutter-free environment can be transformative, ushering in a sense of clarity, productivity, and well-being.

Keeping a Tidy Routine When Life Gets Busy

Life can get pretty hectic, am I right? Between being a spouse, a parent, a business owner, and a friend, there's not much time left for anything else. And when life gets crazy, our living spaces often bear the brunt of it. But guess what? Keeping things tidy isn't just good for your sanity; it can help you stay organized and focused when everything else is in chaos.

The Organized Traveler: Packing Hacks and Strategies for Stress-Free Trips

Who doesn't love the thrill of taking off on an adventure? Whether it's a weekend getaway or an international expedition, travel opens up a world of experiences. But before you can jet off to paradise or explore a new city, there's one not-so-small task to tackle: packing.

The Ultimate Guide to Seasonal Closet Organization

As the leaves turn vibrant hues and the temperature starts to dip, it's time to tackle seasonal closet organization! Keeping your wardrobe in sync with the fall weather can be a game-changer.

Sustainable Solutions for Decluttering and Going Green

Are you ready to embark on an organizing journey that not only brings order to your space but also helps the planet? If you're passionate about decluttering and sustainability, keep reading! This month we’re exploring three sustainable solutions to help you declutter your space while minimizing your impact on the environment.

Organizing Your Social Life: Summer in the City

Summer is here and living in a vibrant city like Chicago means there's never a dull moment when it comes to socializing. From trendy events and art shows to concerts and food festivals, the options seem endless. But how do you keep up with it all without feeling overwhelmed?

Where to start when your whole house needs some love

As professional organizers, we come in with a plan and take the time to really understand how to make an impact each and every time we work in a client’s home. If you are feeling overwhelmed and want to start this process on your own, here are some simple steps you can take.

Making the most of your mornings

You feel like you can conquer the world when you have a productive morning. But why is it so hard to actually get out of bed?

Bathroom Product Organization

We see a lot of products while organizing bathrooms. Just like our wardrobe, we tend to only use about 20% of the products we own.

How do I start the editing process on inherited items after a loved one passes?

We want to honor the people we have lost. I’m so sorry you are having to process a loss like this and then have the burden of all their items. This is tricky for some and often depends on how you and your family value items.

Kitchen Storage: Keeping all the Containers Contained

Kitchen storage containers (Tupperware, Pyrex, Rubbermaid: the options are never-ending!) are the worst when it comes to a neat and tidy space. You always need it. It’s always coming out of the dishwasher just to be used again. It’s everywhere and nowhere all the time. So what’s the solution? How can we make this pain point in our kitchens go away?

Navigating Emotional Clutter in a Relationship

Emotional clutter has the same weight of physical clutter. Even though it doesn't fill our homes, it does fIlls the most valuable space: our mind.

Getting the Kids Involved in Keeping Your Home Clutter-free

Let’s be honest: kids are hoarders. They love all their items and have no concept of why their parents want them to get rid of their stuff or declutter. What we can do as parents is edit and organize their space(s) and work to teach them the skills needed to make good decisions on what to keep and what to donate.

Deck the Halls: Storing Your Holiday Decor

This is supposed to be a joyous time of year but can be very time consuming and overwhelming for the person responsible for decorating. To make sure this task is as easy and enjoyable as possible, here are some suggestions.

3 Tips to Keeping a Tidy Routine When Life Gets Busy

Picture this: you have perfectly curated your home. Everything has a space and nothing is out of place. Life. Is. Good. But what happens when life gets busy?

Decluttering Your Work Life: When Work-From-Home Became Permanent

So many people find themselves in a situation where working from home has become a permanent option. While this certainly affords us many perks like avoiding a daily commute and living our 9 to 5 in comfy clothes, many of us struggle with balancing our home and work life in the same space.

Our guest room has become a catch-all: how do we make it guest ready again?

Just because your guest room is intended for guests, it doesn't have to sit empty and forgotten about except for the three weekends a year you host visitors. If your guest room is a holding zone for returns or “to do’s” - that’s ok! If, however, it has become a dumping ground for all the random things that don't have a proper place in your home, then that's a different story.

I'm overwhelmed by my partner's stuff. How can I communicate with them?

This is always a tricky subject but truly one of the most important things in a relationship and when you combine spaces. Start with communicating and asking the right questions.

Tackling Garage Clutter

A garage is a space to house your vehicles, bikes, tools, bulky seasonal decor, and gardening/lawn maintenance items. And a lot of the time, it becomes a dumping ground for outgrown kids stuff, old paint and random gems family members have off-loaded to us.

Sarah Parisi https://TheClutterCurator.com