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The Coronavirus is certainly disrupting our everyday lives and routines! Our private and public school children are now being homeschooled. Many parents are working from home. The introverts of the world are silently cheering and the extroverts are going stir crazy while practicing social distancing.
What do we do now?
We can sit in our stress, fear and anxiety or we can choose to move forward and take action.
This might mean that some of us that are negatively triggered by social media and the daily news, need to consider switching things up…
How much Coronavirus news can you handle each day without feeling depressed? Which accounts do you need to unfollow to keep your mind from spinning with anxious thoughts? Take charge by actively limiting the time spent on things that are discouraging you.
“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (2 Timothy 1:7, ESV) Whether you believe this or not, it’s hard to deny that there is so much power in our thought process. Our thoughts are the precursor to action. We must keep them from going astray. Once we let ourselves get into a funk and let fear take over, it will trickle into EVERYTHING else in our lives. Those closest to us, our kids and spouses, will be impacted. This is not just about us!
Using Your Time Well at Home
As hard as the circumstances are and as much as your mind might be racing towards the “what if’s of the future” instead of pursing contentment in the present, being quarantined at home with your family for an undetermined amount of time is a rare opportunity. In fact, being quarantined might be exactly what you need to pursue the projects you’ve been putting off and make a straight path towards getting your home and family in order.
I speak a lot about the concept of minimalism and it’s not because I think it’s the magic pill that’s going to fix everyone’s problems. It’s because those who work hard to declutter and pursue a life with less, end up seeing their lives transformed in a powerful way. It’s hard not to notice that minimalist families are different from others.
Minimalism works for single people quite well. Typically they sell their belongings, live in a tiny apartment and have lots of opportunities to do the things they enjoy because their stuff doesn’t overpower them. It’s pretty easy for them! They don’t have to deal with nap time, snack time, bickering time, “hangry” time, interruptions, car seats, picking up toys…basically all the demands that come with having children.
How then does the idea of minimalism translate to those who do have children?
Children who leave toys scattered across every surface of your home like it’s their job.
Children who NEVER remember to clear their dishes from the table after dinner! “One job! I gave you one job!” <insert eye roll here>
Children who leave an endless supply of cups around the house!
Dishes, laundry, cleaning, crafts, paper and…GLITTER! Should I say more?
Can families work together and embrace minimalism? It absolutely is possible but I wouldn't be truthful if I said it was going to be easy. It takes work! Just ask Marie Kondo. She gets it. She knows how difficult it is to keep a tidy, minimalist home when children are involved. In fact, Marie Kondo herself stated in an interview with parents.com that, “She was frustrated after becoming a mom because she couldn't keep her house in the same neat order as before she had kids. And when she became a mom of two, she says she didn't even have the energy for her own favorite tidying tips.”
If Marie Kondo, the ultimate minimalist, admits the fact that children will thwart our home maintenance efforts, this is definitely a reminder of how much patience we need. Decluttering is worth pursuing. It’s worth pursuing because of the freedom it will give you to pursue other things that need your attention.
When life throws you a drastic curveball, (like the Coronavirus) you won’t be drowning in your home. You’ll find peace there. Your home will be a place you can process your feelings without that nagging to do list in your subconscious. It should be a place of true comfort for you no matter how big or small.
5 Ways to Declutter and Pursue Minimalism with Kids:
Teaching your kids to become minimalists might seem like a battle you’re not ready or willing to fight for but I’d argue that you’ll regret not giving it try. The minimalist lifestyle isn’t just about the changes you’ve made in your personal life to live a life with less, it will have a positive impact on your kids as well no matter what their ages are!
Most schools are doing distance learning online which means all the kids are at home. . . I think you’ll notice pretty quickly that when schoolwork is completed at home, there is a lot of down time. Keep those kiddos busy and start including them in your daily activities! In fact, I would argue that their participation in tasks around the home is more important than their academics. Yup. I said it. How many kids grow up and enter society TRULY PREPARED to live alone and handle all the daily maintenance a home requires?
Here are 5 ways to declutter and pursue minimalism with your kids…
1. LOWER YOUR EXPECTATIONS
I say this a lot but it’s truer than ever! Discouragement quickly comes when we expect too much. If creating a life with less is your goal, just start decluttering YOUR belongings. Don’t waste your energy trying to battle with your spouse and children about THEIR clutter and bad habits. It’s not about them yet. Which leads me to my next point…
2. KNOW THAT THEY ARE ALWAYS WATCHING YOU
The amazing thing about living this minimal lifestyle is that you if embrace it, your family will pick up on it too! You can bet that they’re always watching you whether you like it or not, especially the kids! ;-) Depending on their personality, you may not have to do much to get them onboard. They’ll see you working hard to rid your life of things that aren’t serving your family and they’ll follow suit. They’ll notice your anxiety and stress is being lifted as you declutter and they’ll start imitating.
We often use our spouses and/or our kids as an excuse to stay stuck in a situation, (like a cluttered home) because we think it’s a worthless battle…
What’s the point of decluttering if THEY can’t even take 2 steps to put their dirty clothes in the hamper?! Why should I even bother trying to get things organized if the toys are always EVERYWHERE?!
You might find that your family will start asking to donate things they don’t use anymore without you having to say a word. (It happened to me!)
Eventually, minimalism will become a lifestyle for your family. It won’t just be “your thing” as time goes on.
3. SPEND MORE INTENTIONAL TIME WITH THEM!
Getting rid of excess stuff will happen much quicker when everyone is under the same roof for a while. Spending time with each other will give you a lot of opportunities to enjoy one another’s company. Social distancing has its benefits. It’s extremely rare that we have the opportunity to spend so much time at home with our loved ones.
How are you spending these days? Are you talking with your kids about others who are less fortunate? Are you decluttering, playing board games, reading stories, cooking, starting a garden?
OR
Is your anxiety and fear causing you to be distant? Are you yelling a lot because of stress? They see it all. For your health and well-being call or text a friend, if you have a church family, ask them to pray for you. Don’t do this alone.
Pursuing minimalism during this storm by decluttering every nook and cranny of your home will help keep you occupied and when this is over, your whole family will benefit from it!
Declutter Your Entire Home in 30 Days!
Grab the Clutter Control Challenge Checklist Here!
4. CUT YOUR GOALS IN HALF ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE CHILDREN UNDER 5
To all the sleep deprived mamas, I’m with you! It’s hard to do anything with little ones underfoot. Don’t expect to declutter your entire home in a week. It’s just not going to happen. Cut your goals in half and recognize that your kids need you. They need you to read to them, feed them, bathe them, change their diapers and play with them. They don’t need a distracted, distant mom the entirety of this quarantine.
Motherhood is a full time job. Pursuing minimalism is a journey. Once you declutter a space, you’ll probably go back to it again and declutter it some more! Give yourself some extra grace when you have littles and take it one small step at a time. One project a day makes a massive difference in the long haul.
5. GET CREATIVE
Parenting and creativity go hand in hand. Get your kids involved by making decluttering a game! Here are some things we’ve tried:
Play a song and see how many stuffed animals the kids can throw into a donate pile before it’s over.
Set a timer to declutter. We just recently purchased and love this amazing visual timer! It has helped my younger kiddos understand the concept of time a little bit more.
Create a special memory box for each child and encourage them to keep whatever items are special to them as long as the items fit inside the box. If they consider a rock special, they have the authority to keep it. We want to teach our children that we value their opinions instead of throwing away what we consider junk. This is particularly important as they start entering the elementary school years.
You’ll be amazed that when this unsettling time passes, (and it will pass), at how much more time you’ll gain when life goes back to normal by having a home that is cleared of clutter!