Why intention is key to organization
You may have noticed that my business name, Consciously Cleared and Contained, is . . . well, long. In my logo, Consciously, is in different font: script, curved, bigger, drawing more attention to it. This was intentional. I purposefully chose it because being organized and tidy, feeling restful and at peace in your home, and being in control of your spaces—it demands intention, it requires mindfulness. You have to bring attention to your routines, your roles, your rituals.
It’s not as hard as it sounds. But it does mean doing things differently, if you are feeling overwhelmed by the state of your home.
For all of us, it is SO easy, too easy, to zone out, switch to autopilot to get through the day, to go through the motions of life. To NOT focus on taking care of our spaces, our belongings, our homes.
Or we buy into narratives … for example parents are supposed to be hustling for their kids—at a painstakingly unrealistic level—at their own expense. It’s true I spend a lot of time literally chasing my little heart on legs AND I have been creating simple moments of *consciousness* into our day.
Something reinforced this past week when we had a life-and-death scare, life is happening at warp speed, whether or not we are ready, open, or have time. When you strip away the bull shit of consumerism, the social media comparisons, the pressure for perfection, the patriarchal themes that still (try to) define being a woman and a parent, and the daily grind—at the end of the day, it’s people that matters. It’s our connection, our family, our peace. So let’s work to focus there.
“Declutter your mind, your heart, your home. Let go of the heaviness that is weighing you down. Make your life simple, but significant.” – Maria Defillo
Here’s what mindful living (and being a conscious consumer) looks like in my home:
I have the money to buy this (I don’t spend outside of my means anymore, and wow that is huge!), and this purchase aligns with my values. When we were saving money to start our family, it was easy to make decisions, “What do I want more, this cozy throw blanket or a vial of sperm?” Oh right, the sperm! And I’d move $50 into savings.
I buy ONLY what I truly love…AND know that I will use (I see lots of things I love at Home Goods, it IS possible to love something and admire it without purchasing—that’s a practice!)
and I buy ONLY what I need. This is tricky when the sale is buy 2, get 3 free. If I need one, I buy one. If I see something I love and I don’t actually NEED it, I wait. If I can’t let the thought of it go, I’ll circle back. It’s not about deprivation.
Before I hit the register or click CHECK OUT, I consider where this item will live in my home. Is there space for it? We live in a small duplex where every inch of space matters (and also I work hard to minimize clutter because it helps my anxiety so much!). We made a mistake recently of buying a new vacuum that’s too big to fit in our closets! Oops
I make a commitment to the new item by instantly removing tags/stickers, cleaning as needed, putting it into its new home, and showing my family what it is/where it lives.
My wife has helped me learn the importance of buying higher quality (because you don’t need to replace/buy more nearly as quickly). And also being a small business owner myself makes me super excited to buy from small business over Amazon every chance I can.
Returns (to friends’ for borrowed items or to stores for unwanted items) go straight into my car. I’m more likely to get it done when it’s already with me as I’m out and about.
Here’s what some of that looks like for me/my household in terms of daily routines/systems:
when I wake up … (on my best days) I do a brain dump to get my thoughts/plans/goals organized. What’s the most important thing(s) I want to do today? It helps me organize my anxiety. I take my time to prep for the day so I don’t forget (rushing = forgetting). I give myself extra time so I don’t feel stressed (rushing = anxiety).
when arriving home … I collect all the trash in the car (read: snack remnants and wrappers) and toss them. I carry everything from my car to the front steps that must be returned to its place in the home.
I take the mail inside and IMMEDIATEDLY recycle all of the junk mail. I open my mail and recycle any parts I don’t need, I put “take action” items (like bills, forms to return) in a folder, and I leave my wife’s mail on the counter by the trash/recycling for her to address. (Our system is, she knows because of my counter-clutter aversion that if she leaves it on the counter for more than a day, I’m going to stick it in her vertical paper bin, where she likes to hold everything and peruse when it’s full—this is what works for us.)
Due to our small home, our shredder is in the basement, so paper meant to be shredded lives right by the basement door and goes down with the laundry. For us, it’s quick and easy to shred a few pieces of paper rather than waiting for it to pile up to a bin-full.
when I step inside our home … I pause, take a breath, and spend another 30 seconds to return everything to its place (hang keys on hook, place wallet in bin, hang up coat, put shoes on the rack).
when I’m about to leave a room … I do a quick scan. I’m heading to the kitchen to make dinner, so what do I see right now in the living room that belongs in the kitchen, that I can effortlessly corral on my way?
when doing a mindless task, or in between tasks … when I’m brushing my teeth, I put away the bath toys or move any recently used meds back to the linen closet.
when something doesn’t fit or is obviously outgrown/unused … it instantly goes into the DONATE bin. No need to put it aside for a mind reader to know that it’s meant for donation. Just right into the bin, and when the bin is full, to my favorite drop spot or Buy Nothing.
when I do NOT have time to complete a task fully … this one is hard for a recovering perfectionist like me. Here’s some real-life examples in my home. If I have laundry to put away and need to leave the home in <5 min for preschool pickup, I’ll dump the clothes on the bed and do a quick sort to get them that much closer to being put away (and to stay wrinkle-free). When I’m waiting for the water to boil or heating leftovers, I can empty the dish rack and start loading the dishwasher. Tiny steps forward. Baby steps in the right direction.
when the day is over … we do our reset/closing the kitchen routine. Putting toys away is the first step of bedtime. Whoever cooked can relax while the other loads the dishwasher and wipes the counters. Going to bed with the coffee set and the dish emptied is pure gold.
when thinking ahead … we are careful to avoid overscheduling, we pause before we say YES to every invitation, we build in downtime for ourselves and our child.
This isn’t hard work, it isn’t brain science. It’s simply paying attention, taking advantage of small moments to complete a task (or even partially complete it), put something away instead of down, to mobilize items that are out of their intended place. It helps shed black-and-white thinking that can be so limiting to tidiness.
Intention is not the same thing as doing a major clutter clearout, or spring cleaning. It’s just doing one or two things at a time, to move forward toward feeling good in your home. It’s completely achievable, and easy to get the family involved. (If they see something on the steps, they know to take it upstairs!)
All this to say, it’s really possible to get organized, to change the dynamic of your home, with intention. Consciously Cleared and Contained is about more than decluttering and organizing; I can help you rewrite narratives, shift your mindset to help you achieve your goals, and create lasting change that benefits the whole family.