As fall approaches, you’re bound to spend more time indoors. It also means you’ll spend a lot more time surrounded by the stuff you own — and all that stuff can make you feel a little crazy. 

It turns out, collecting stuff doesn’t make us happier. Yet, we still have so many activities related to consuming and collecting items and very few for getting rid of them.

Think about it. Typically, we buy presents for weddings, birthdays, showers, holidays. We pick up the odd item at the grocery store, as we walk through Target, or when we shop for a special occasion. 

Our addiction to consumption fills up our cupboards, our closets, our countertops, and even our cars. It add up so fast, that our consumption habits often outpace the space we have to store it all. Pretty soon our homes look more like storage units instead of a rejuvenating retreat from the hustle of daily life. 

In fact, our hyper-consumption habits even lead to a thriving 2.3 million dollar storage industry even though theres an average of 3x more space in our homes per person.

So when do we declutter? When do we discard? When do we detox our homes off all the stuff that’s accumulated?

Often, the answer is we don’t. 

Spring cleaning usually boils down to simply organizing the stuff we do have and doing a deep clean. Rarely does it include discarding, donating, or downsizing.

And so, I propose a new tradition. A whole-home decluttering every fall.

By systematically walking through every room, closet, drawer, or shelf of your home and removing all the things you haven’t used in the last 6 months, duplicate, or things that no longer serve a positive purpose in your life - you’ll feel so much lighter and create so much physical and mental space. 

Space that will leave you with much more energy for the people or activities that are most important to you — especially when holidays show up.

Start with places you can get easy win’s and your momentum going. I suggest starting with your car, your bathroom, your kitchen, and then the rest of the house and garage. For your closet, I suggest the taking the 15x30 challenge and then donating or swapping any items you no longer wear.

Think you don’t have time to get it done? Set a timer for 10 minutes every night for a week and see how much you’re able to go through. 

 With just a little bit of effort you'll start to reclaim your home and create more space for the things you actually love. (And you'll feel a heck of a lot lighter!)