One Mindset Hack to Help You Declutter Your Home in 2023

A month into my minimalist journey, I quickly became disillusioned.

Before “going minimalist” I'd devoured books and blog posts about person after person who had let go of well-over half of their superfluous belongings.

And each account made it sound easy.

Emma, a school teacher in Oregon, decided to live minimally so she let go of 70% of her possessions. Done.

Simon, a writer in Texas, decided minimalism was for him so within months he'd whittled his belongings down to 200 items. Aaand, done.

Minimalism-made-easy. It was the theme I'd read time and time again. (You can listen to my minimalist story here to learn how we let go of 75% of our possessions!)

Until I soon realized something. There was no magic minimalism fairy who was going to hover above my house, sprinkle decluttering dust, and make every possession I no longer used or loved disappear.

Going minimalist wasn't that easy. In fact, it wasn't easy at all.

But my self-talk continued to be convinced it was. I still had this flood of expectations that fueled “shoulds” in my mind.

“This should be easy”

“I should have a more decluttered home by now.”

“I should know how to do this faster.”

My interior voice was holding my decluttering efforts to an unrealistically high standard. And it was hindering my progress.

The truth about “should”

Read the full article here!

Julia Ubbenga is a freelance journalist whose teachings on minimalism, simplicity, and intentional living have reached thousands of people worldwide through her blog. Julia practices what she preaches in her Kansas City home with her husband, two extremely lively young daughters, two-year-old son, and six-month-old baby girl. You can also find her on Instagram and now also on Facebook.

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PODCAST ANNOUNCEMENT!

Check out this FUN conversation with Emily McDermott on the Moms Overcoming Overwhelm Podcast “Decluttering Our Self-Talk with Julia Ubbenga from Rich in What Matters.”

Emily and I are doing a GIVEAWAY! Leave a review for the Moms Overcoming Overwhelm Podcast on Apple Podcasts (by the end of the day Wednesday, Jan 4th) and you'll be entered to win ALL the videos to my new course “Declutter Your Life NOW.” (This course is launching soon! It includes my teaching videos on how to rid your home of clutter NOW and an in-depth video tour of our minimalist home.) ($150 value)

Also, if you listen to the podcast, let me know what you think. :)