I’ve been decluttering my house for years, working through all the layers of things we have. A few weeks ago, I opened a bin of extra bags, backpacks, and soft luggage and figured I could let these things go since it’s been a while since I’ve used them.
But then I remembered all the times we DID use them, how useful they were, and all the times in the future that they could come in handy. I put the lid back on the box and decided to deal with it later.
As I was mulling over the content of the box a few days later, I had an epiphany about the real reason I wasn’t ready to let these things go.
We hold onto extra stuff when we don’t have a system for how we will do things. Because I don’t have a clear system for all the aspects of how we travel as a family, I hold onto more bags and travel items, “just in case” or “grab and go,” without giving it lots of thought.
Is this okay? Yep! But it’s also a challenge for me that I’m excited to keep plugging away at. Developing more systems not only for traveling but for lots of areas of our home and life.
Once we know how we’ll do something - like the toiletries bags we will use when we make stops in hotels on our road trips - and what and where everything goes in it - then I can confidently get rid of the excess.
There are lots of possible systems you can develop in your family and home to make things run more smoothly, but I want to encourage you that you don’t need too many in place for you to be able to move forward and spend time on the things you love.
Here are five systems that I recommend starting with:
Laundry
Dishes
Meals
Wake-up
Bedtime
If you decide the who, what, where, and when in each of these areas, you are already on your way to having your days go a lot smoother. Once these are good enough - not perfect - it’s time to move on to exploring!
You can learn more about that on the 5-Step Path From Surviving to Thriving and where you are on it with my free checklist. And if you need help building family systems that are unique to you and your needs, check out my program, Made to Soar: Next 90 Days.
An Introduction to The 5 Step Path From Surviving to Thriving [Episode 262]
Surviving Burnout: One Tip for Busy Moms to Cope with Overwhelming Seasons [Episode 261]
Bringing Truth, Goodness, and Beauty into Our Days: A Conversation with Autumn Kern from The Commonplace [Episode 260]
Our Favorite Homeschooling Curriculum for 2023: PreK, 1st Grade, 3rd Grade [Episode 259]
The Story Behind the Thriving in Motherhood Planner [Episode 258]
How to Design Your Homeschool Space [Episode 257]
Making 1% Better Changes instead of setting big goals | Atomic Habits [Episode 256]
What to Do When You Feel Stuck [Episode 255]
The Three Levels of Overwhelm in Motherhood [Episode 254]
What to do when you survived your goal but are miserable along the way [Episode 253]
How I Involve Kids in Cleaning Our Home [Episode 252]
How to Use Your Word For The Year [Episode 251]
How to Use Your Planner in Different Seasons of Motherhood [Episode 250]
Why You Don't Need to Feel Pressure to Complete Your Goals [Episode 249]
The Evolution and Joy of Rest and Read Time [Episode 248]
What Really Matters When It Comes to Parenting? [Episode 247]
The Power of Baby Steps with Soaring Mothers Society Members [Episode 246]
2022 Year in Review [Episode 245]
Bored, Busy but not Fulfilled, or Bummed by not Making Progress - What to do About It [Episode 244]
The Big Picture Of What It Actually Takes to Have a Home That Supports You [Episode 243]
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