After breaking my arm, I learned how to simplify my home, create easy systems, and break free from overwhelm. Transformative systems and simplifying lessons for my home.
A Struggle To Keep Up With My Home
I want to share how God turned my difficult circumstances for good. One area I was really struggling with was the state of my house. I was watching inspirational videos (mostly all kinds of “Cinderella” stories to motivate me to clean and organize).
After I turned forty, I felt that I simply didn’t have the capacity to keep up with everything that needed to be done at home. I tried, but it took so much effort and the results never lasted long. Often, I felt embarrassed to invite people over, especially if they came unexpectedly and I wasn’t prepared.
Unexpected Injury
Three years ago something terrible happened: I broke my arm. It was so bad that for two months I was bedridden and couldn’t do anything. My dear husband and boys tried to help as much as they could with the cooking, dishes, and laundry. But the already messy state of our house became even worse. Thankfully, once I healed, I was able to get back to my cleaning routine, though it was extremely difficult.
My Systems Are Not Working
That experience made me realize that my systems for keeping the house clean—and even livable—were not working. Everything was so fragile that it completely fell apart when I was taken out of the equation.
Simplifying Is The Key
My accident forced me to think about what needed to change. How could I keep my house in good shape not just on my best days, but also during the worst-case scenarios? It had to work when I wasn’t feeling well, when I wasn’t home, or when I was busy during the holidays. It needed to be simple and easy.
I started watching some organizing videos, and the more I watched, the more I realized that I needed to simplify. If my family couldn’t manage the house without me, then the systems were too complicated and required too much effort. Without me constantly directing things, no one even knew what to do. So I needed to make changes that would keep my home easy to clean and maintain.
I Owned Too Much Stuff
Eventually, I came to the conclusion that I owned too much stuff, and it required too much work from both me and my family. I started getting rid of things I wasn’t using—things I kept “just in case” I might need them someday. There was a lot. But with every item that left my house, with every bag of things donated or thrown away, my home became easier to maintain.
Tips To A Clean And Easy House
It took me about a year, but it feels so much better now. I’m confident that even if something happened and I couldn’t do anything around the house for a while, it wouldn’t take long to bring things back to normal. I still have some decorations, but instead of having ten little knickknacks on every flat surface, I have just one larger piece. This simple change makes cleaning so much easier. It’s much simpler to dust around one item than ten! It also helped my family—before, they never knew how I liked things arranged, so when I broke my arm, they were overwhelmed and didn’t know where to start.
I also realized that even the most beautiful décor doesn’t look good when it’s dusty. Now I try to keep my flat surfaces clear of anything I don’t use daily, especially in the kitchen. I keep nothing on the countertops—that has been the key to a clean kitchen! Everything goes into a cabinet or drawer. Then it’s easy to wipe down surfaces and keep them clean.
I Have A Well-Run Home!
Breaking my arm was a very traumatic experience, but through that time God taught me such an important lesson—one that helped me become much more confident in my homemaking skills. I stopped feeling guilt and shame when people come over. My house isn’t perfect, but it’s almost always clean and pleasant, and I can truly say I now have a well-run home!