What if all we needed was a little more direction?

Below, I’m sharing a handful of very specific, fairly small, totally doable things you can do today (literally right after you finish reading), in just a few minutes at a time.

These ideas won’t radically change your life overnight, but practiced consistently, they will help you form new habits, and over time, these new habits have the potential to positively impact your family, home, and life!

1. Wake up 20 minutes earlier.

When do you normally wake up? Calculate 20 minutes earlier and set your alarm for that time tomorrow morning.

I know there are seasons of life when an extra 20 minutes of sleep feels like the most important thing you can give yourself… but as someone who didn’t sleep for almost 3 years due to a fussy baby/toddler, I still advocate for setting your alarm 20 minutes earlier.

With those few extra minutes, you can quickly get ready and feel more “with it” when everyone else wakes up — making you less grouchy and possibly changing the entire atmosphere in your home.

These 20 minutes could be the difference-maker in your morning, which has the potential to positively affect your entire day.

Related Reading: How to Get Excited to Wake Up Earlier

2. Remove 100 things from your home.

It sounds like a lot, but every item counts — even trash!

Give yourself 30 minutes to walk through your home with a trash bag and Amazon box. Put the trash in the bag, and items you no longer want, need, use, or love in the box.

This is an excellent habit to develop and a great skill to teach your children too.

Related Reading: How to Declutter 100 Things From Your Home Today

3. Make your to-do list before bed.

Tonight, before you go to bed, spend 5-10 minutes thinking through everything you need/want to do the next day.

Then, write it down — either as a paper list, as a notes memo in your phone, or even send yourself an email. Get it out of your head so you don’t need to worry about forgetting throughout the night.

Do this every night!

You’ll have a plan for your day, your meals, and your free time — which will be especially helpful since you’re waking up 20 minutes earlier .

Related Reading: How to Boost Your Productivity with a Top 5’s List

4. Clean out your vehicle.

Don’t worry about the outside right now… just the inside.

Grab a trash bag and a mini shopvac, and get to work.

If you think about how much time you spend in your car, having a neat and clean vehicle will have a huge positive effect on your mood.

Plus, it’s a small space, so it shouldn’t take too long, giving you that sense of instant gratification.

Related Reading: Practical Tips for Clean Vehicles with Kids

5. Create a laundry routine.

Laundry overwhelm is one of the most common complaints I get from readers and friends in real life — it just takes so long and always feels never-ending.

However, part of the problem is often that we don’t have a laundry routine, so we always feel behind.

Take a few minutes today to determine what type of laundry routine could work best for your home, your family, and your current season… then commit to sticking with it for a full month.

Maybe it’s doing 1 or 2 loads (from start to finish) each day. Maybe it’s having a laundry marathon day (this works well if you’re home one full day per week). Or maybe every person in your family has their own laundry day.

If you create a laundry routine, you give yourself a game plan, making it so much easier to stay on top of this never-ending chore.

Related Reading: Why You Need a Laundry Routine

There are countless other tasks, tips, and to-dos I could add to this list… but in an effort to keep things simple and specific, these 5 are a great place to start… do it today!

Do you have any other simple and specific ways to simplify? Leave them in the comments!

But What’s a Bumbleberry?

Don’t worry, you’re not missing something… a Bumbleberry is not an actually berry.

It’s a made-up word used to describe a random mix of berries and fruits — ones you might “bumble” upon in the wild.

That means you can use almost any fruit for this pie!

I’ve successfully tested this recipe with almost every berry… and also with apples, cherries, rhubarb, peaches, nectarines, plums, and more.

Why I Love Bumbleberry Recipes

I regularly use the Bumbleberry fruit mixture in the recipe below to make pies, tarts, crisps, cobblers, crepes, and more. The combination of sweet and tart fruits makes it extra delicious, no matter how you bake it.

It’s also a great recipe when you don’t have enough of one fruit to make a full-size dessert… just mix all the little bits of fruit from your fridge and freezer together and make a Bumbleberry Pie (or crisp or tart!)

After roughly an hour, those random bits of fruit will be a tasty treat.

Ingredients for Bumbleberry Pie

As I’ve already noted, you can use almost any type of fruit — however, I should mention that I’ve never tried melons, grapes, bananas, or dried fruits. I’m not sure they would work well — but feel free to experiment.

To keep things simple, the recipe below is my personal favorite Bumbleberry fruit combination. If you don’t like to experiment or you’re not a seasoned pie maker, start with this exact recipe… I’m confident the recipe below will give you tasty results!

• pie crust (store-bought or homemade — enough for two 9″ crusts)
• 2 c. tart apples; peeled, cored, and chopped
• 1 c. rhubarb; washed and chopped (not cooked)
• 1 c. strawberries; washed, hulled, and sliced
• 1 c. blueberries; washed
• 1 c. raspberries; washed
• 1 T. lemon juice
• 1 c. granulated sugar
• 1/3 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 T. tapioca or cornstarch
• 2 T. milk or cream
• 2 T. granulated sugar for sprinkling (optional)

Ingredient Substitutions

As I’ve mentioned multiple times already, feel free to sub almost any type of fruit into this recipe.

You also don’t need to keep the ratios “exact”. If you have 1.5 cups of blueberries and only 1/2 cup of strawberries and only 1 apple, that’s totally fine.

For the sugar, I would not substitute with honey or maple syrup as that will be too liquidy. However, you could substitute with cane sugar.

As for the flour, tapioca, and cornstarch — they are important to help with thickening the juices into a “sauce,” so the finished pie isn’t overly runny. However, you can feel free to use your favorite gluten-free flour, if necessary. I personally prefer the texture of the tapioca; cornstarch is an easy substitute if I don’t have tapioca in the house.

Dairy-free milk works just fine too.

And finally, if you don’t want to use 2 crusts, you can easily omit the top crust entirely.

How to Make Bumbleberry Pie

Prep: If using frozen fruit, defrost and drain it in a large colander for 15-20 minutes (discard juices). This prevents the baked pie from being overly soggy.

1. Preheat oven to 375º F.

2. Line a 9″ glass pie plate with 1 pie crust and set it aside.

3. In a large bowl, combine all fruit and lemon juice.

4. Sprinkle sugar, flour, and tapioca over fruit and gently toss.

5. Scoop fruit mixture into pie plate.

6. Top with 2nd crust (see notes for lattice crust below).

7. Brush top crust with milk and sprinkle with additional sugar (optional).

8. Cut a few slits in the top to allow steam to vent (unless you’re using a lattice top).

9. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until the filling is bubbly and the top crust is golden brown (you may cover with aluminum foil if the crust starts to get too brown).

10. Let pie rest for at least 30 minutes, then serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

11. Cover leftovers (if you have any) and store at room temperature.

Step-By-Step Lattice Pie Crust:

If you want to get a little fancier, here are my step-by-step instructions for a lattice top crust — which won’t change the taste at all, but it sure looks fancy!

1. Roll the crust out flat.

2. Use a knife or pastry wheel to cut thin strips in the crust (less than 1″ thick).

3. Lay half of your strips loosely over the pie, leaving gaps between each strip.

4. Weave the remaining strips over and under the bottom layer of strips. I like to do this on a 45º angle… but you could do 90º to make more of a boxy pattern.

5. Cut the overhanging strips off, or press any extra dough into the crust around the edges of the pie.

6. Use your finger and thumb to create a scalloped edge on the crust.

Fast-forward a couple of decades, and (thanks to the internet) it seems that every day has a special sale with a new opportunity to BUY NOW.

Even those who intentionally make an effort to stay away from the mall, social media, and TV advertisements still see hundreds of ads every day with “special discounts” and “limited-time offers”.

Gone are the days when holiday shopping was the only time we were inundated with “buy now” deals. Now, every day is a buy now day.

No matter what time of year, we are continually bombarded with ads and sales opportunities that could do a number on our budgets and our homes (remember, you need to store all the things you buy).

If you have a love of shopping or gift giving, it will be even more difficult for you to resist.

That’s where I might be able to help…

Many years ago, I developed the habit of asking 5 simple questions before purchasing anything.

These questions changed the way I think about shopping, altered my perception of a “good deal”, and have been a key factor in helping us stick to our financial goals over the years.

These 5 questions have saved thousands of dollars for our family, and I think they could help you too!

Favorite Movie = Sing (1&2)

Almost weekly, I’m asked for a list of the movies we watch for movie night — and unfortunately, I never created one. But, for the last 7+ years, we’ve watched a movie or documentary or show together every week… and 98% of the movies we’ve watched have been really great.

Maybe I’ll compile a list someday… but in the meantime, I’ll share Sing 1 & 2.

Our family all loved both Sing movies as they are fun for kids and adults (our favorite types of movies). Very entertaining with great songs and fun plot lines!

These things are often the hardest to part with because they represent possibilities rather than realities.

After all… “What if I need it someday?”

It’s a question we’ve all asked ourselves. But if we’re not careful, that one question can become an excuse to keep almost everything.

If you struggle to part with “what-if-I-need-it-clutter,” I’ve got some simple tips to help you finally let go and make room for the life you’re living today!

Consider the Cost of Keeping “Just in Case”

Most of us focus on the cost of getting rid of something.

• “I paid good money for this.”
• “What if I have to buy another one?”
• “It still works.”

But we rarely consider the cost of keeping it.

Every unnecessary item takes up physical space, mental space, and often emotional space too.

• It fills shelves, closets, garages, basements, and storage bins.
• It makes cleaning more time-consuming.
• It makes organizing more challenging.
• It makes finding the things you actually use more difficult.
• And it quietly contributes to the feeling that your home is always a little more cluttered than you’d like.

Sometimes the bigger expense isn’t replacing an item someday; it’s storing it for years “just in case.”

Change the Question

Instead of asking: “What if I need it?”

Try asking:

• How likely is it that I’ll actually need this?
• If I did need it, could I borrow or rent one?
• How expensive and/or difficult would it be to replace?
• Do I actually have space to store this item?
• How long has this been sitting around?
• What’s the worst-case-scenario if I need it again but don’t have it?

Often, your honest answers make the decision much easier.

Remember How Resourceful You Are

Think back over the last few years… How many times did you face an unexpected situation?

You probably figured it out because you are resourceful.

Maybe you borrowed a ladder from a neighbor.

Maybe you picked up a replacement part at the hardware store.

Maybe you improvised with something you already had.

You are likely much more resourceful than your clutter gives you credit for… your future self will still be resourceful!

Don’t Store Problems That Don’t Exist Yet

One of the easiest ways to simplify your home is to stop preparing for every possible future scenario.

Could you someday host a huge party?

Maybe.

Could you someday take up knitting again?

Possibly.

Could you someday need fifteen empty jars, three old computer monitors, or six extra baking pans?

Anything is possible.

Set a Reasonable Limit

If you’re still struggling, remind yourself that you don’t need to toss everything… maybe you just need to set a few limits.

I call these “space budgets” (read more in-depth on this concept).

For example:

• Keep one box of keepsakes—not six.
• Keep one set of backup sheets—not four.
• Keep a small supply of gift bags instead of an overflowing closet.
• Keep one bin of seasonal decorations instead of filling the attic.
• Keep one container of extra cords after matching them to current electronics.

Limits force us to keep the best, most useful items instead of everything.

A Simple Rule to Remember

When you’re holding an item and thinking, “What if I need it?” ask yourself one more question:

“Is this possibility worth the space it’s occupying today?”

Sometimes the answer will be yes.

But many times, you’ll realize you’re giving valuable space in your home to something that exists only as a hypothetical.

Choosing to let go isn’t wasteful.

It’s making room for the life you’re actually living, not the one you might someday need to prepare for.

A simpler home doesn’t require getting rid of everything.

It simply requires trusting yourself enough to keep what serves your life today—and letting go of what only serves your worries about tomorrow.

One of the best things about refrigerator dill pickles is their fresh, crisp flavor. Because they aren’t processed with high heat, they stay crunchier and taste much more like fresh cucumbers than shelf-stable canned pickles.

They’re the perfect addition to sandwiches, burgers, charcuterie boards, or simply enjoyed straight from the jar (as our kids prefer).

Fun Fact: Dill pickles were one of the first solid foods our extremly picky toddler (Nora) liked… so we fed her as many as she wanted. Since then, all 4 of our kids love dill pickles. I can never have too many in the house!

If you’re looking for an easy, foolproof recipe for dill pickles, this is the one. I doubt you’ll find an easier recipe to start with!

Ingredients for Refrigerator Dill Pickles 

• cucumbers
• white distilled vinegar
• water
• Mrs. Wages Refrigerator Dill Pickle mix
• Clean jars with tight-fitting lids (they do NOT have to be traditional canning jars)

NOTE: Any brand of pickle seasoning should work, but I’ve had years of success with Mrs. Wages, and it’s always available at our Meijer stores.

How to Make Refrigerator Dill Pickles

Prepare several jars and lids (I save old pickle jars and run them through a cycle on my dishwasher just before canning).

Wash and slice your cucumbers.

After the jars are clean, pack them full with sliced cucumbers (you can smash them in).

In a large saucepan, combine vinegar, water, and “spice” mixture via the directions on the back of the Mrs. Wages package (depending on how many batches you plan to make at a time).

Bring the mixture to a rolling boil and boil according to the directions on your spice packet.

Using a funnel, ladle hot vinegar mixture into jars until cucumbers are covered.

Tightly screw lids onto jars.

Let cool at room temperature for several hours.

Refrigerate and eat within 6-8 months. (I like to let mine sit in the refrigerator for at least a week before eating them).

That’s it! 

The whole process takes maybe 20 minutes, and most of that time is spent slicing the cucumbers.

When our garden is producing lots of cucumbers, I can make a double or triple batch of refrigerator pickles every 3-5 days. It honestly doesn’t matter how many I make, the kids just keep eating them!

Refrigerator Dill Pickles

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Skip the water bath canner and make the easiest pickles of the summer! Refrigerator dill pickles are crisp, fresh, and incredibly simple to make.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

• cucumbers
• white distilled vinegar
• water
• Mrs. Wages Refrigerator Dill Pickle mix
• Clean jars with tight-fitting lids

Instructions

1. Prepare several jars and lids (I save old pickle jars and run them through a cycle on my dishwasher just before canning).
2. Wash and slice your cucumbers.
3. After the jars are clean, pack them full with sliced cucumbers (you can smash them in).
4. In a large saucepan, combine vinegar, water, and “spice” mixture via the directions on the back of the Mrs. Wages package (depending on how many batches you plan to make at a time).
5. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil and boil according to the directions on your spice packet.
6. Using a funnel, ladle hot vinegar mixture into jars until cucumbers are covered.Tightly screw lids onto jars.
7. Let cool at room temperature for several hours.
8. Refrigerate and eat within 6-8 months.

Notes

If you're making pickles all summer long, like I often do, you can reuse the brine for future batches. Just save the brine in the jars after your pickles are gone (keep it refrigerated). Then, when you're ready to make another batch of pickles, re-boil the brine and pour it over the cucumbers.

Reuse the Brine

If you’re making pickles all summer long, like I often do, you can reuse the brine for future batches. Just save the brine in the jars after your pickles are gone (keep it refrigerated). Then, when you’re ready to make another batch of pickles, re-boil the brine and pour it over the cucumbers.

Sometimes, if I’m making a double batch, I’ll make one fresh batch of brine and combine “old brine” with it on the stove. This saves on cost and my kids say they can’t taste any difference.

I’d love to know… do you love pickles or hate them?

As always, visit my virtual recipe box for more simple, delicious, family-friendly recipes!

A Don’t-Do List is exactly what it sounds like: a collection of things you’ve intentionally decided not to do.

These aren’t things you can’t do — they’re things you’ve thoughtfully chosen to stop doing because they no longer serve your priorities, your family, or your peace of mind in this season of life.

It may sound overly simple, but creating a Don’t-Do List can be one of the fastest, easiest, and cheapest ways to simplify your life.

Why You Need a Don’t-Do List

Many of us spend so much time figuring out what we should add to our lives that we rarely stop to ask what we should remove.

But remember, every “yes” requires time, energy, money, and/or mental space.

By intentionally deciding what you won’t do, you create room for the things that matter most to you.

Your Don’t-Do List gives you permission to stop chasing impossible standards and start living with more intention.

Related Reading: How to Evaluate The True Cost of Our Stuff

Ideas For Your Don’t-Do List

Everyone’s list will be different, and that’s exactly how it should be.

Also, keep in mind that a Don’t-Do List you make today will likely be very different than a Don’t-Do List you make next month or next year. Putting something on your Don’t-Do List for now does not mean you can’t ever do that thing again in the future. Nothing is permanent… so don’t stress about the future, and simply consider your current season of life when making your list.

Here are a few Don’t-Do List ideas to get you thinking:

• I don’t compare my home to homes on social media.
• I don’t apologize because my house looks lived in.
• I don’t feel obligated to attend every event I’m invited to.
• I don’t buy something simply because it’s on sale.
• I don’t overschedule our family calendar.
• I don’t answer every text immediately.
• I don’t keep my email open all day.
• I don’t keep clothes that don’t fit or that I never wear.
• I don’t cook elaborate meals every night.
• I don’t volunteer for everything.
• I don’t save every piece of children’s artwork.
• I don’t feel guilty for saying no.
• I don’t chase every decorating trend.
• I don’t expect perfection from myself or my family.
• I don’t spend more than I have available in cash.
• I don’t spend hours trying to organize things I really should declutter instead.
• I don’t let a few dirty dishes ruin my mood.
• I don’t believe every season of life has to look the same.

Notice that many of these aren’t about productivity at all — they’re about protecting your peace and sanity.

Start With What Stresses You Most

If you’re not sure where to begin, ask yourself a few simple questions.

1. What consistently leaves you feeling exhausted?
2. What do you dread doing?
3. What obligations have you taken on simply because you’ve always done them or because you feel guilted into them?
4. What expectations are you trying to meet that no one else is actually asking of you?

Certainly, there are some dreaded activities (laundry) that you will need to stick with for your home and life to function well, but many of your other answers to these questions may reveal things that belong on your Don’t-Do List.

Note: If laundry or other household chores are a huge stresser for you, consider these options to alleviate that stress.

Make It Personal

The goal isn’t to copy someone else’s lifestyle.

Maybe another mom loves decorating for every holiday, making homemade birthday cakes, hosting neighborhood gatherings, or coaching every one of her children’s sports teams.

That’s wonderful…for her.

But if those things leave you feeling overwhelmed instead of fulfilled, it’s perfectly okay to decide they aren’t priorities in your life right now.

Simplifying isn’t about doing less than everyone else.

It’s about doing what matters most to you.

Your List Will Change

As I mentioned before, your Don’t Do List is not permanently set in stone.

During the years when your children are young, you might decide not to host large family gatherings. Later, when they’re older, you may actually enjoy entertaining again.

When you’re caring for aging parents, working full time, welcoming grandchildren, or navigating health challenges, your list may look completely different than it did five years ago.

Or maybe (like our family) your summer season looks very different than your Fall, Winter, and Spring seasons due to sports, extracurricular activities, church functions, etc.

That’s not failure.

That’s wisdom.

Different seasons require different priorities.

Give yourself permission to adjust your list whenever life changes (even if this is every month).

Write It Down

Although you can certainly keep your list in your head, there’s something powerful about writing it down (you know I love a good paper list!)

Keep it in your planner.

Tape it inside a kitchen cabinet.

Save it as a note on your phone.

Put it on your bathroom mirror, so you see it first thing every morning.

When new opportunities, obligations, or purchases come your way, glance at your list before saying yes.

It can serve as a gentle reminder of the life you’re intentionally building.

The Benefits of a Don’t-Do List

When you simplify your own life, your family and friends benefit too.

You’ll likely have more patience.

More energy.

More margin.

More flexibility.

More time for conversations, family dinners, games, walks, and the little everyday moments that often become the best memories.

Your children and grandchildren also learn an important lesson: life doesn’t have to be packed full to be meaningful.

Sometimes the best gift we can give our families isn’t doing more.

It’s showing them that it’s okay to do less.

My Current Don’t-Do List

In this season of life (with 4 teen/tweens age children), these are a few of the things I intentionally don’t do.

• Crafts — aside from our digital photo books.
• Travel — we prefer to entertain at home instead.
• Holiday Decorating — it’s just been the Christmas tree and 1 box of decor.
• Skin Care — I don’t do much outside of Vitamin E oil and my DIY facewash.
• Date Nights — we go in the hot tub most nights, but don’t regularly go out.
• Spending more than we have — we use credit cards, but pay them off every month.
• Working outside the home — if I can’t do it from home with a flexible schedule, I’m not interested.
• Making Bread — I don’t do this in the summer… I’ll get back to it in the fall.

There are others, but this hopefully gives you an idea of where I’m at right now. All of this could easily change over the next year.

Final Thoughts

Your Don’t-Do List isn’t about laziness or lowering your standards.

It’s about making thoughtful decisions before life makes them for you.

Instead of asking, “What else do I need to add to my to-do list?”

Try asking: “What have I finally decided I don’t need to do for now?”

That answer might be the beginning of a simpler, calmer, and more joyful season!

How to keep produce fresh for weeks:

After washing and drying your salad greens and other produce, store it in a container or bag with a couple of paper towels or a clean flour sack towel.

The towels absorb extra moisture that would otherwise collect and cause spoilage. Every few days, swap the damp towel for a dry one.

That’s it!

No special gadgets. No expensive produce savers. Just a simple habit that will keep your produce fresh much longer!

Helpful Tools

Floursack Towels — a more eco-friendly alternative to paper towels

If you already use flour sack towels in your kitchen, dedicate one or two just for your produce drawer. They’re reusable, washable, and work beautifully for absorbing moisture. That said, if paper towels are more convenient for your current season of life, that works well too.

Salad Spinner — this is a great way to get extra moisture off your produce (not just salad greens).

The Benefits of Longer-Lasting Produce

MONEY — For anyone trying to stretch their grocery budget, little tricks like this can make a surprisingly big difference. Produce isn’t cheap, and throwing away a container of wilted lettuce or a pile of cucumbers every week adds up quickly.

TIME — Fresher produce means fewer last-minute trips to the store, saving you valuable time and energy.

HEALTH — This tip makes healthy eating just a little bit easier. When the produce is washed and fresh, it’s much more likely that we’ll actually eat it!

I love when a simple solution has a big impact!

A towel in your produce container might not seem revolutionary, but saving money, saving food, saving time, and making healthy living a little easier are all wins in my book.

I’ve used this tip for nearly 2 decades (way back to my college days), and I have no intention of stopping any time soon.

Bonus tips to keep salad greens fresh longer: 

1. Don’t pack lettuce leaves into the container or bag too tightly.

You want the produce to have room to “breathe”. Feel free to separate the lettuce into multiple smaller containers with various sheets of paper towels. 

2. Eat greens in order of “hardiness”. 

We eat the more delicate greens first, then heartier Romaine lettuce, and we save Kale for the end as it is much more hardy and seems to hold up longer. 

Also, if I see any sign of the spinach starting to wilt, I immediately throw it in the freezer to use in casseroles, smoothies, quiche, and soups. We never waste spinach!

3. Use leftover store-bought lettuce containers to store your greens. 

I often save the plastic containers from store-bought lettuce and reuse them. They stack really nicely in the fridge, they are light-weight, and easy to open and close. 

This works especially well for our garden-fresh lettuce, but also to divide up the overcrowded store-bought containers (see bonus tip #1 above). 

RELATED READING: Browes all my favorite salad recipes here.

How Long Will the Produce Last?

I don’t have a definitive answer on this, because it partially depends on how often the towels are changed, what temperature the produce is stored at, how well it’s washed, how often it’s taken in and out of the fridge, and how “old” it was when you purchased it from the store.

That said, the lettuce and salad in these pictures is all at least 2 weeks old.

The veggies are much fresher because we eat them so quickly, but some of the veggies could be close to a week old and still super fresh.

1. Set Clear Goals

Before diving into the decluttering and rearranging process, stop to consider your end goals.

Aside from clearing out the things you no longer need, how do you want your home to function for you in this new season?

• Do you want more space for entertaining and hosting guests (a large family room and extra sleeping spaces)?
• Do you want more space for a budding hobby?
• Do you want to create a magical fun zone for grandchildren?
• Do you want to reduce your possessions and downsize to a much smaller home?
• Do you want minimal upkeep so you are free to travel more?
• Do you want to be “the hangout spot” for your adult children and grandchildren?

Defining your goals for your home will help keep you focused and motivated throughout the decluttering process and give you the best chance to create the environment you want to come home to each day.

2. Start Small

Way back when I worked as a professional organizer, my first piece of advice to all my clients was always to “start small”.

After all, they didn’t acquire all their stuff in a day, and they won’t get rid of it in a day either.

Don’t go into this process assuming you will tackle your entire home in one day or even one week. It will take time.

Make a list of 5-7 smaller spaces you’d like to tackle sooner rather than later, and then choose ONE to start with today — I love starting in a bathroom because it’s a small space that usually isn’t filled with sentimental items, so you can move quickly.

Work through each small space using the steps below. Challenge yourself to tackle 2 or 3 small spaces per week (as your schedule allows). The idea is that each of these small-space “wins” will inspire you to keep going!

3. Ask Your Adult Children

If you’re decluttering their old bedroom or closet, it’s wise to let your adult children know the plan.

If they’d like something from their old space, give them a timeframe to pick it up (or offer to ship it to them if they are far away).

Don’t force them to take their old thing (they might not want anything), and don’t willingly offer to be their storage unit for an undefined amount of time either.

Remember, it’s ultimately your home, and you should be able to make the “final call” on the items inside your home, but it will certainly go a long way with your children if you include them in the process and give them a chance to claim anything they’d like.

4. Sort and Categorize

If you’ve watched any design or decluttering show, you know they almost always sort items into 4 main categories (keep, donate, sell, trash):

I love this system… but I break it down just a bit more:

1. Keep in the same space
2. Move to somewhere else in the house (I use a laundry basket for these items)
3. Donate or give/return to someone (I use larger boxes for these items)
4. Sell — only if you’re actually going to list it ASAP (I have a closet in my home I use for these items)
5. Trash (I use trash bags)

As you go through each of your small spaces, make quick decisions and put the various items in each of the 5 categories above.

If you need to pause to consider an item, just put it in the “keep” pile for now and deal with it later. The idea is to move quickly here so you don’t get bogged down with decision fatigue and quit before your small space is decluttered.

Please do not worry about organizing things or making the space look pretty and cute yet. You’re simply decluttering.

5. Fully Finish Each Space

After you get through each of your small spaces, putting the items into the 5 categories I listed above, give yourself an extra 30-40 minutes to fully finish the job. Let me explain…

• Throw out the trash immediately.
• Put donations and “return items” in your car trunk and make a plan to drop them off ASAP.
• Take 15 minutes to post the items you want to sell on Marketplace, eBay, or a Buy Nothing page.
• Put away any items you found from other spaces in your home.
• Finally, put anything remaining in your space back where it belongs (clothing in the closet, towels in the drawer, etc.)

It’s easy to stop after you declutter without fully finishing the job — especially if you’re “just” working in an extra bedroom or a now-unused bathroom. But that leaves you with bags of trash, piles of donations, and more visual clutter and mental to-dos weighing you down.

Even if you’re working in spaces you don’t use every day, do your best to start and fully finish before moving onto the next space.

6. Reevaluate Your Furniture Needs

As an empty nester, you likely won’t need nearly as much furniture as when all the kids were home.

A simple bed, nightstand, and chair might be sufficient for your extra bedrooms. And you likely won’t need nearly as much storage for games, books, shoes, sports gear, etc.

At the same time, you might want a larger table that can grow as your extended family grows. Or extra seating in the living room for when the whole gang is over to watch the game.

Consider the areas you could downsize, the furniture needs you might have, and possible ways to rearrange what you already have to serve your new needs (it’s honestly amazing what a little furniture rearranging can do for your home!)

RELATED READING: How we rearranged our entire main floor in 2020.

7. Have a Plan for Sentimental Items

I agree that some items just need to be held, felt, and smelled… but many other keepsakes can be digitized by simply taking a photo of them (especially if you’re diligent with printing or making photo books.)

Sentimental items like kids’ artwork, poems they wrote, special documents, or specific outfits you want to remember are easy things to snap pictures of and then toss the actual item.

If a picture won’t work, consider different ways of displaying sentimental items or even using them around your home (here are a bunch of practical examples of how I do this in our home.)

8. Create a Memory Box

If you have sentimental items you want to save, but your kids don’t want them, you don’t want to display them, and you don’t want to photograph them, I encourage you to create a “Memory Box”.

Aim for a box that’s manageable in size and use it to store whatever sentimental items you desire and that can fit inside the box. This limits what you keep while still honoring your children’s childhood.

If you have enough space, create one box per person — just don’t let stuff start piling up on top of the boxes or multiplying into 3 or 4 boxes per person.

9. Embrace Your Empty Space

Once you start emptying closets, cabinets, and even full rooms, you will instinctively want to fill them again (you think you won’t, but you will!)

This is one reason why I encourage empty nesters to reduce the amount of furniture they have (specifically storage furniture like dressers and bookshelves) — see #6 above.

It’s OK to have a few drawers, a closet, or even an entire room that’s completely empty. In fact, you should have empty spaces in your home, considering you no longer have nearly as many people living in your home.

Resist the urge to accumulate more, just because you have the space to store it, and instead, let yourself get comfortable with the empty space while you envision what it could be used for in the future.

10. Implement a One-In, One-Out Rule

To prevent future clutter from piling up in those empty spaces, adopt a “one-in, one-out” policy.

I encourage everyone to utilize this simple rule, no matter what stage of life you’re in. However, it’s especially important for Empty Nesters who usually have significantly more space.

If you purchase new shoes, a new jacket, or a new purse, get rid of an old pair of shoes, jacket, or purse — even if you have the space to store them all.

This habit keeps your spaces from becoming overcrowded again and will save you hours of decluttering in the future (an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure).

Transitioning to an empty nest can be both exciting and emotional.

It will take time… and perfection is never the goal.

But by investing the time and effort to declutter and think through the goals for your home, you’ll eventually create an organized-enough home that reflects your new lifestyle, that works for you in this new season, that brings you joy, and that you look forward to spending time in.

I’d say that sounds like a pretty good deal!

Do you have any other tips or suggestions for empty nesters? Leave it in the comments below!

Having kids definitely makes getting out the door on time more challenging, but I don’t think it has to mean being late all the time.

If punctuality isn’t your strength, here are a few simple habits that have helped our family get where we need to be without the last-minute chaos.

1. Pack everything ahead of time.

If we need to go somewhere during the day, I’ll do my best to get the bags and car fully packed the night before, or well ahead of our actual departure time.

This means lunches and backpacks are fully packed the night before, sports bags are packed well ahead of when we need to leave, and luggage is in the trunk the night before any vacation.

Related Reading: Jumpstart Productive Days with Intentional Evening Routines

2. Leave at least 15 minutes earlier than you have to.

I’ve always been good at estimating the amount of time it will take me to do something… however, everything takes longer with children thrown into the mix.

Over the years, I’ve learned to add an extra 15 minutes to whenever I think we should leave, to allow a little wiggle room for all those last-minute things that pop up.

3. Make it easier for your kids.

Even young children can participate in getting out the door on time… if the proper training and “tools” are put in place.

They can put on their own shoes if they can access them. They can pack their own snacks if they can reach them. They can fill their water bottles if they are shown how. They can even start thinking through the process of what they need to get out the door if they are regularly told and shown what to do.

It may take longer at first while they’re learning, but the more responsibility kids take on, the less falls entirely on the parents.

Take a little extra time to start teaching your kids how to plan ahead, and walk through the steps needed to get out the door on time.

Related Reading: 60+ Tasks Children Can Do Every Day

4. Use time frames instead of exact times.

If your destination is a fixed time (like school or church or the airport), then plan to leave early and arrive on time.

However, if there isn’t a specific start time for your event, I try to give time frames of when we’ll arrive, instead of exact, to-the-minute times.

For example, if we’re just meeting up with friends somewhere, I’ll give a 15-minute window of time when we’ll arrive.

This gives a little leeway for traffic or other delays without needing to rush or feeling like you’re holding up the others in the group.

5. Just stay home.

Honestly, we’ve found that it’s often easier just to stay home.

You don’t need to do everything you’re asked to do… especially not if it will force you to rush from one event to the next with little breathing room in between.

Of course, Dave and I are both introverts… so some of you extroverts might not relate. However, I think you’ll still benefit from saying “no” when your schedule just feels too full.

Embrace the JOMO (Joy Of Missing Out)!

Also, if you’ve never done it before, consider taking a vacation from work and just staying home. You might be surprised how relaxing it is.

Related Reading: 7 Sanity-Saving Tips for Introvert Parents

Bonus: Give yourself grace.

There is no way to predict every delay or issue we might run into as we’re trying to get out the door — especially with babies and toddlers.

Life happens. Other people realize this and will most likely give you grace if you show up a little late every once in a while.

Try not to stress about it…

However, if you notice you’re regularly running late for most of your activities, it might be worth revisiting the 5 tips above.