If you were born before 1990 or so, I'll bet that no one really ever taught you how to declutter. My mom was very anti clutter. And so she clearly let go of a lot of things throughout her life, but she never taught me how to do it. And I think that's the general consensus for most people. So now, as a result, we've spent our entire lives learning how to buy need, want and consume, but never really understanding how to declutter.
So in this episode, I'm comparing decluttering to a vegetable because it makes the entire process so much easier to understand.
Hey there, I'm Nicole from The Maximizing Momma, and I am obsessed with creating a home that gives me more peace of mind, more time to myself and more time with my kids. I teach you the tried and true secrets to clearing your clutter, getting organized, and managing your household in a realistic and sustainable way.
This show is where we talk about things like motherhood, decluttering, organizing, creating routines, mindset, energy, and everything in between. Our homes are the foundation for the rest of our lives, and it's so important to have a calm, relaxing household so you can have the time, the peace of mind, and the freedom to truly enjoy motherhood.
So sit back and get ready to take charge of your home.
Hello. Hello and welcome back to the Take Charge of Your Home Show. Today. I want to share a quick analogy for you that is so powerful when thinking about decluttering and taking charge of your home and all the stuff, all the belongings that you own. And we're really going to get right into it.
I want you to think of de cluttering like an onion. Like peeling back the layers of an onion. It took years for you to acquire all of your belongings, maybe even decades. So in your home, you might have your childhood things, some stuff from your teenage years, your early twenties, your thirties and beyond, depending on how old you are.
I mean, just think about it for a second. All of that stuff is like another layer of the onion. So one layer of the onion could be a group of your things in whichever way you like to categorize them. For me, for example, I pretty much categorize my things, how I just said. I have my childhood things, my teenage years, my early twenties, which was pre motherhood.
And then I have my kids things, my late mother's things, et cetera. Well, each layer of the onion is another layer of your stuff. And in order to clear your clutter and take charge of your home, you need to peel back one single layer at a time.
So let's break down the parts of an onion. I'm a pretty visual person, so we're going to do our best here, but I will be sharing a post on Instagram right after this episode is published that breaks this down visually if you'd like to go check it out.
So first you've got the bulb. This is what you're planting, and inside it has the bud. Well, after you plant it, the root starts to grow. And I'll be honest, I had to look this up because I had no idea. I wish I was good at gardening and growing things, but I'm just not. So anyway, the root starts to grow to anchor and support the plant.
And then the first shoot develops, which is basically new growth. Well, eventually the onion plants begin to push away the soil and sort of pop out of the ground.
So let's get back to the analogy and how you can relate this towards decluttering. So you've got the bud. Well, this is your identity or who you are as a person.
It's been around since the onion was first planted and it's there throughout the entire lifecycle. But over time, it blossoms into a full grown onion. So I want you to think of the bud as you, your morals, your values, and what's important to you. It's the things that are highly specific to each of us.
Now, as I explain this analogy, I will be referring to the onion from the bud outward. So once you've got the bud, then you have the inner fleshy layers of the onion that are closest to the bud. These are the items in your home that are closely linked to who you are as a person. This could be sentimental items or even other things that you could never imagine letting go of. Typically, they might be things that you've had for years or even decades. These items that are closely linked to who you are will be highly subjective to each of us, depending on your specific bud, and who you are as a person, as well as how your bud has developed throughout the years and how your relationship with stuff has developed over time. For me, this would be things like my childhood teddy bear. Or my parents' marriage certificate. For you on the other hand, it could be your wedding dress, for example, if your identity as a wife is strongly rooted in who you are.
Well next, you've got the fleshy middle layers. And these would be equivalent to the items in your home that, you know, you don't need to keep anymore. But you're having trouble letting go of for one reason or another. Maybe it's something that you think you might need one day, something that has a strong, emotional attachment, or even something that you spent money on and don't want to get rid of.
Then there's the outer most fleshy layer. This layer is equivalent to things in your home that are easy for you to let go of. Like broken items, pens that don't work anymore, socks without a mate, toys your kids don't play with, et cetera.
And then finally there are the scaly leaves on the outside of the onion. This is not clutter at all, but these are items that would be classified as a mess. The things in your home that you want to keep that are getting left out and making your home look visually cluttered.
So when it comes to clearing your clutter and taking charge of your home, I want you to focus on peeling back one layer of the onion at a time. And I have to say really quick. I don't really get where this same comes from, because I don't know about you, but I don't ever peel back onion layers. I cut it, but I digress. We're just imagining here that we are peeling back one layer of an onion at a time.
So, what do you need to do first? If you're to actually peel back an onion, what would you do first? Well, I'd say you would wash it. And this could come down to getting prepared to start decluttering your home. Which is exactly what you're doing by being here, tuning into this podcast and learning what you can about decluttering.
Then after you have washed it, what would you do next? Well, you would tackle the scaly leaves on the outside, right? I mean, you can't really start peeling an onion when those scaly leads are there. So when it comes to your household and your belongings, this looks like putting things back where they belong and finding a home for the things that you don't know what to do with.
Because once you do that, then you'll have a complete picture of what you're working with. Once you're able to take charge of all the things in your home that you want to keep, that are causing such a mess, you can fully access the fleshy layers that you need to start peeling back. You can fully access the clutter that you're ready to start letting go of.
And that's exactly how I want you to treat de cluttering and taking charge of your home. First by dealing with the mess and all the things that you don't know what to do with, all the things that you want to keep, because these are the items that are making your house so messy. These are the things that are distracting you from the true problem, the clutter.
And this is exactly what we covered last season here on the podcast when we were talking about overhauling. But in case you missed those episodes, or if you're just finding this show or the Maximizing Momma, trust me, you are not behind at all. Because this is exactly what we're going to be doing in the three-day Breathing Room Challenge.
We're going to be dealing with the scaly leaves of the onion, as well as that first fleshy layer of clutter. Because then, once we've peeled back the scaly leaves and the first fleshy layer, then we can start tackling the inner fleshy layers. The things that, you know you need to get rid of.
And we have a brand new program called Foundational Decluttering opening very soon that will help you do just that. It will help you unload your clutter one layer at a time, like the layers of an onion. So that way you can simplify your things and have more peace of mind when you have less stuff in your home. So while we're on the subject, if you still need to save your spot for the Breathing Room Challenge, go do that now at the maximizing momma dot com forward slash breathing room. It's all happening February 28th to March 2nd in a pop-up Facebook group. And it's going to be pretty epic because you will learn how to do this in your home, how to peel back these layers of the onion, these layers of stuff. And when you sign up for the Breathing Room Challenge, you will be on the insider's list, so you can receive an email as soon as Foundational Decluttering is open.
Now let's get back to our onion. The main takeaway is this. You need to look past the things you want to keep, past the surface level of your home, to the deeper layers of stuff. That is where you will find de cluttering success. Now the Breathing Room Challenge will help you deal with both the mess and the clutter. But the mess is going to come back so long as you still have clutter. So long as you still have clutter hidden behind closed doors, all the things that you want to keep and all the things that you don't know what to do with we'll keep distracting you.
And so often people get so caught up in these messes. They're trying to declutter and they think they're decluttering, when really they're just dealing with the scaly leaves over and over again, tidying, cleaning, rearranging, and reorganizing their things. And never, truly letting go of enough stuff to really make a difference.
So again, what I want you to take away from this episode and this onion analogy is that the scaly leaves on the outside may be a part of your home. But in order to declutter, you need to peel back the fleshy layers one at a time.
If you're ready to make this happen, if you're ready to find de cluttering success in your home, you're in the right spot. I would love to know what you think about this onion analogy. So tag me on Instagram while you're listening to this episode, you can search the Maximizing Momma and I'll pop right up.
Personally, I think this onion analogy is pretty damn good when it comes to understanding the different layers of stuff within our homes. Because in reality, it is like we have layers of stuff. I mean, I could never fathom decluttering my childhood things. But the McDonald's toys that my kids got for dinner last night? Easy peasy.
And so when you're tackling your home in layers, it makes the entire decluttering process so much more simple because you don't even have to worry about those items that are more difficult for you to let go of. Instead, you're just peeling back one single layer at a time.
This could look like making a quick pass through your closet to declutter the clothes that you're willing to let go of right off the bat. And then after you have peeled back that first layer of clutter, you'll go back in your closet and tackle another layer. Maybe it's the jeans that you wore before you ever had kids, the ones that are never going to fit you again.
And then on a third pass, you go back into your closet. And by now, your decluttering muscles are flexed, you've made incredible progress in your home, you're seeing the fruits of your labor, and you're ready to keep peeling back layers. So this time you decide to get rid of your boyfriend's letter jacket from high school.
As you can see, it's a process. And that's what we're going to be doing in your home, peeling back one layer of clutter at a time. So make sure to get signed up for the Breathing Room Challenge, because we're going to be putting this all into place and helping you take action so you're not just learning these things, but you're actually implementing all of this in creating more room in your home to breathe, more room to function, and more room to enjoy your life.
I will share the link to save your seat in the show notes and I'll see you next week. Until then tag me on Instagram so we can chat about your specific home and I'll chat with you soon, bye!
Thank you for listening to another episode of the Take Charge of Your Home Show. Go ahead and take a few moments to celebrate yourself for being here, doing this work, and really learning how to create a calm, relaxing home. Don't forget to check out the show notes and feel free to leave a rating and a review so I can know what you want to hear more about because you and your journey are what make this show a reality. I'll see you next time.
