Spring has offi cially sprung and summer is

just around the corner! Im looking forward to

lots of road trips , exploring and long summer
nights. Spring here in Utah is famous for its
volatile weather. Sometimes Im adjusting my
outfit numerous times a day to account for
the swift changes in weather. We can go from
80 degrees one day to snowing the next day.
With a toddler, we drop everything on the warm
days and get outside! Im never quite sure how long the
nice weather will last so we soak it up by exploring as
much as possible when its sunny and nice. Then, on the
cold rainy or snowy days were usually inside and in full
spring cleaning mode. I think the renewed earth full of
new spring life kicks us into spring cleaning to make our
homes look just as renewed as the earth.
Do you want to know the secret for successful cleaning
and organizing? First, MINIMIZE. The biggest problem
that I used to make with spring cleaning (and cleaning in
general) was to just organize. I would organize boxes
and boxes of things even though we hadnt even used the
stuff in the boxes. If youre in spring cleaning mode,
first purge and then organize.
I recently asked a group of fellow bloggers to share their
best tips and strategies for minimizing and living a life
with less stuff. Below youll find 8 blog posts with strategies from simplifying the closet to having a full 10 day
de-clutter-a-thon. If you find something you like, just click on the link to visit the full post.

HOW DO ES CLUT T ER AFF ECT YO U R CHI LD REN?

No one likes clutter but have you ever thought about how clutter is affecting your children? Adrian shares some
great perspectives on how clutter affects kids and offers some great solutions for purging, minimizing and
organizing to keep a clutter-free home. Learn How Clutter Affects Your Children right here.

REF LECT I O NS O N MY NO -SPEN D LENT

Have you ever gone 40 days without shopping? Megan did just that and shares the 4 wonderful lessons that she
learned from her experience of no shopping. Read her story right here.

W HAT TO DO W HEN KEEPI NG UP W IT H ALL YO U R

KI DS LAU NDRY BECO ME S TOO O VERWHEL MI NG !
It can be easy to feel overwhelmed with all of the tasks and chores that comes with having kiddos in the home.
When it comes to getting overwhelmed with laundry, Julia has the best solution Ive seen. Her secret to dealing
with less laundry is to first minimize all closets in the home! Read about the limits shes set for her kids closets
and how its helped her and her family to simplify.

T HI S O NE Q UEST IO N CO UL D HEL P YO U SI MPLI F Y

YO U R WARDRO BE
If youre interested in purging your own closet after
your kids closets, then check out Elizabeths guide for
making sure that you love every piece in your
wardrobe .

ALWAYS KEEP DO NATIO N

BO XES I N YO UR HO ME

No matter how hard you try to reduce the stuff coming into your home there are frequently things that are no
longer useful or needed. To take care of these items quickly and easily, read my tips for always keeping donation
boxes in your home right here.

HOW TO H AVE A DE-CL UT T ER-A-T HO N. (O NLY 1 5-30

MI NUT ES PER DAY!)

Have you ever had a de-clutter-a-thon? Its amazing how much can be accomplished with just little bit every
day. Read Lauras guide to prevent getting overwhelming with decluttering by taking things one day at a time.

T HE SECRET S TO AN O RG ANIZ ED HO ME O FF I CE
The office can easily be a place for pile up and overwhelm. I love Rachels tips for making this space more
functional. Want to know her first step? Minimize and declutter. Check out her other great tips for an organized
home office right here.

SI MPLI F Y W IT H A LI F E DIG I TALLY O RG ANI Z ED

The single greatest thing that has helped me to minimize and simplify is going digital. By learning how to
digitize my stuff I was able to get rid of boxes and boxes of paper work, files, manuals, receipts, books and
more. If youre interested in getting rid of your physical stuff by digitizing it, them join me in my free email
course: Simplify with a Life Digitally Organized . Youll receive 7 email for 7 days with specific and actionable
strategies for cutting the clutter and going digital.

Over the last couple of years Ive slowly made changes to our home. Ive been
more intentional with what I spend my money on and how I spend my time. I dont
want to have a home filled with things to simply show off. I want my home to be a
haven for my family. A space where we gather and create memories. I dont care
about fancy furnishings and pricey decor. Nothing wrong with it if thats your thing,
but its not what brings me joy.
When you start to focus on the things that are important and that bring you
happiness, something changes. You no longer worry about impressing others. You
no longer feel the need to keep up with the Joneses. You start living with
intention and focusing on what matters to you. Over the last several months, Ive
noticed some great benefits that have stemmed from keeping a simple home and
here are some of my favorites:

THE BENEFITS OF KEEPING A SIMPLE HOME

LESS TIME CLEANING

The less you have in the home, the less surfaces you have to dust and wipe. I can
easily whip my house into shape in 1/2 of the time that used to. Im very particular
about the furniture I buy and the decor I put up. If I dont love it, I wont put it up
just for the sake of having something there. I still have several empty walls in my
house that Im slowly decorating. Quality over quantity is my new motto.
MORE SPACE

My mom and I have the same square footage, yet she swears my house is bigger
than hers. The reason she believes our home is bigger can only be explained by
our lack of clutter . I dont feel the need to fill up every nook and space in our
home. I like having some empty spaces. Empty space creates the illusion that a
space is larger and can also be more visually appealing. Want a bigger home?
Just get rid of some stuff.
MORE MONEY

You might be thinking, how does a simple home and money relate? In more ways
than you can imagine. I spend less on stuff because I no longer feel the constant
need to update or upgrade the home. Theres nothing wrong with sprucing up your
space and making it your own. I enjoy decorating, truly I do. But I dont feel the
need to switch my decor every season, and I certainly dont feel the need to keep
with anyone. So when Im at the store, I can say no to frivolous purchases and
save my money for the things I really want.

MORE TIME WITH FAMILY

One of the best benefits of keeping a simple home is having more time for my
family. The less time I spend de-cluttering, cleaning and moving stuff, the more
time I have in my day. I used to spend my weekend cleaning our home and
prepping it for a new week. Now I can actually enjoy my weekends without feeling
guilty about a household chore that needs addressed. This alone makes it all
worthwhile. Well never get time back once its gone, so please use your time
wisely.
LESS > MORE

Did I mention that trash starts to dwindle when you own less stuff? Yup, because
youre no longer shopping for things to fill up your home. Unless Im doing a major
purge, our trash is minimal. Imagine what an impact that would have on our
environment if we all cut back on the stuff we buy. I also love that my kids have
learned from our example and are very particular about what they purchase. My
oldest daughter is currently working, and has been saving her money to travel with
our church. It makes my heart happy that shes spending her money on
experiences and not things. The less you have the more you can shift your focus
on the things that are important to you.
BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE

The peace of mind that simple living brings is invaluable. I love that I dont have to
worry about stuff and that I no longer get consumed with little things like buying a
new light fixture (I have a thing for lights). Our home has become what it was

meant to be, a place for our family to gather. A place for us to share and connect.
Not a place to show off what we own, or walk around on eggshells because its too
nice to enjoy. Although we dont live in a big home or own fancy stuff, we love our
space. Not because of its material value, but because of what it enables us to do.
Have you ever considered keeping a simple home? Or perhaps you think Im a bit
off the wall? Either way, I would love to hear your thoughts on this.

Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is

specifically your own. Bruce Lee
The end of the year commonly inspires thinking about what wed like to
improve on or do differently in the new year. Similarly, it is a great
opportunity to think about how the Bullet Journal works in our lives: the
things that work, the things we want to leave behind, and the things we
want to try out.As December rolls by, think about these things and create a
collection to house your thoughts on how they function. Do these things
help you get whats important to you done or are they distractions?
Revise your system to identify the components that help you keep track of
the things that matter to you. Remember, the Bullet Journal is more than a
task management system; it is also a life management system. Make sure
that youre using it in a way that helps you keep track of the things that
matter to you.

Doing this will enable you to adjust according to what works for you.
Another great way to revise your Bullet Journal is by revisiting the videos
to help you pick up on things you might have missed the first, or tenth time
around.
Sometimes it takes revisiting the basics to think about the framework of the
system and reevaluate whether the additions youve added are conducive to
helping you accomplish what you set out to.
As the year comes to a close, think about ways you can tune up your
system to become an even more well-oiled machine.

When youre ready to migrate consider the following:

Things that work.
Things to leave behind.
Things to try out.
How to join the challenge:
Share a photo and description on social media with the hashtag
#bulletjournalchallenge to share how youre closing down the year with the
the above questions as a guiding point for the challenge. Here is the brand
new Facebook #BulletJournalChallenge group.

free meditation apps that i love:

Take a Break > Choose from quick (7 or 13 minute) guided meditations. You can
choose to listen to just the voice, or add in music sounds or nature sounds.
Oriental Relaxing Sounds > There are no guided meditations within this app, but it
has a great timer feature and I love the soundtracks that it comes with.
Stop, Breathe & Think > This is a great all-in-one app! It has a built-in timer
feature, along with guided meditations and an awesome schedule & meditation
tracker.
Headspace > Im in love with Headspace! Heres what you get:
Free access to Take10, Level 1 of the Foundation Course learn the
basics in 10 x 10 minute meditation activities geared towards
beginners

Personalized progress page to track your stats

Buddy system for you and your friends to motivate each other on
your Headspace Journey

Rewards for regularly using our meditation app

Reminders to keep you on track with you practice

Options for you to continue your journey after Take10, with inspiring
packs and one-off sessions on a range of topics such as stress relief,
happiness, mental health and appreciation

Ability to download sessions for offline useQuick 10 minute

meditations and a progress chart.