Longing for a Simpler Life? Start with Decluttering

Got too much stuff? If you feel like you have too many belongings – or clutter – you can start to unstuff your life with Ruth Soukup’s new book, Unstuffed.

Clutter in your home has such a way of choking out freedom:

Clutter complicates every day tasks.
It adds time and effort to what could be a simpler life.
Clutter distracts.

The solution to clutter and having too much stuff is to get rid of it.

But that’s a lot easier said than done. It doesn’t matter that I try every single year – I’m in a continual purging process in my home.

Even when I think I’ve gotten rid of everything my family doesn’t need, there’s still so.much.stuff.

Getting decluttering help

As much as I keep decluttering my home, I also need some inspiration and simple guidance.

This winter, as I’ve tried to create an intentional plan to declutter:

I’ve read Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.
I’m working my way through Dana K. White’s Decluttering at the Speed of Life.
And I just finished Ruth Soukup’s new book, Unstuffed.

I loved it.

Divided into three sections, Unstuffed covers your home, mind, and soul in detail.

Ruth knows a thing or two about unstuffing her life. I loved her transparency and real-life examples of how she and her family have been trying to get clutter and stuff – of all forms – out of their lives.

As she explains, “Becoming unstuffed ultimately means removing everything that doesn’t contribute to the way we want our homes to feel, while keeping everything that does.”

Filled with advice

I especially appreciated Ruth’s advice – including a detailed plan to declutter your entire house in one weekend.

I also gleaned a lot from her insight about purging sentimental items, which is always a sticking point for me. Ruth encourages that,

“Instead of telling yourself, ‘But it feels like I am throwing away someone’s memory,’ remind yourself that by equating someone’s memory with the stuff they left behind, you are actually diminishing and cheapening their memory. Remember the ones you’ve loved by treasuring who they were, not what they had.”

Ruth’s conversational writing kept me reading her book – it was hard to put down. (Even when I felt tempted to start cleaning right away!) Once I did finish it, I’ve been much more motivated to tackle areas of my home – and life.

For one, I completely agree with Ruth’s observation:

“Our homes are quite possibly the most open and honest reflection of our state of mind that we will ever find. The more cluttered and chaotic we are inside, the more our homes will reflect that confusion. But the opposite is also true. The more we can tame the physical space around us and create an environment that soothes, welcomes, and comforts, the calmer we will feel inside.”

Unstuffed is 212 pages filled with practical and inspirational tips to declutter your home, mind and soul. (You can buy it on Amazon.)

Am I alone in this decluttering struggle? What are you doing to unstuff your life?

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of Unstuffed. All opinions are my own. Purchasing items through links in this post will result in a commission for Home to a Haven. Thank you for supporting this website!

All images courtesy of Kaboompics, Unsplash, and Ruth Soukup.

Author
Recent Posts

Hilary

Hilary Bernstein is a Christ follower, wife, homeschooling mama, and writer who helps women experience God's perfect peace in messy, imperfect life. She's happiest when she's hosting friends and family for dinner, going on date nights with her husband, singing along to the radio, traveling with her family, and spending cozy nights at home. The author of fifteen books,Hilary also is Women's Ministry Director at The Chapel in Green, Ohio.