Tidy-Up Tips: Master Bedroom

Time for a change...

Our master bedroom is by far the hardest room in the house for me to keep tidy. For some reason, it becomes the place where I dump everything, from laundry to paperwork. This room that is meant to be a place of peace and rest has instead become a place where I am constantly reminded how much is left on my to-do list at the end of the day. Instead of going to bed on time at night, I feel pressured to fold the laundry that is on the bed or sort the papers that are in a box on the floor. That causes me to go to bed much later than I should and wake up still not feeling refreshed.

I have decided, it is time to end this cycle. It is time for this to change. I want my master bedroom to be what it is meant to be, and only I can make that happen. So, this weekend, I have done a few things to start the transformation from chaos to calm in our master bedroom. Here is what I did:

1.) I looked around the room for things I knew shouldn't be in a master bedroom and set those things in their proper locations. If I wasn't sure where I wanted it to go, I just set it outside the door. The things I removed included the box of paperwork, a few of the kids' toys, some teaching supplies, a mound of clean laundry, a bunch of old picture frames and some old computer parts.

2.) Then, I took everything off our bookshelves and my nightstand and item by item asked myself my 3 decluttering questions: 

-Do I need it?

-Do I use it?

-Do I love it?

I got rid of a ton of stuff. When I reminded myself that ultimately, I only want things in my home that I need, use or love, it was very easy to say good-bye to items I was hanging on to just because I thought I needed to for whatever reason. These items I was ready to part with were either donated (THAT DAY) or thrown out if I knew no one else would be able to use or enjoy them.

3.) When putting items back on my bookshelves or nightstand, I decided to create some criteria. I only wanted 2-3 categories of items to go back on the shelves. So, I decided that because I love books and use them all the time, my bookshelves would mostly be for books. I would also include a few very important pictures (in frames I love-I got rid of all the ones I didn't love) and a few other mementos from trips or other special times in my life. For my nightstand, I decided to keep only my Bible and devotional (or current Bible study book) as well as my journal (and old ones). I could already feel a sense of relief from decluttering and redesigning these spaces!

4.) Lastly, I looked around the room at the rest of my decor. I love to decorate, but my husband has been really great about encouraging me not to OVER-decorate. I wanted to ONLY keep up things that brought me joy. That meant the giant wreath I had hanging by the tv had to go. I didn't love it; I had just bought it to fill space on the wall. I removed a few other things as well and got them ready to donate.

This took me a few hours to complete but made a HUGE difference! When Blaine returned from his trip to Argentina yesterday, the first thing he said when he walked into our bedroom was, "Wow! I can actually see the floor!" Mission accomplished!

Although I have a bit more to do, I am very satisfied with the way things are. I have created 2 rules that I m planning to follow for the next week in order to keep the transformation from chaos to calm going in our master bedroom. 

My rules:

1.) Don't store ANYTHING on the floor. Nothing. The only thing touching the floor is furniture and feet. (Speaking of furniture... I HIGHLY suggest NEVER putting a chair in your bedroom...you will NEVER sit in it and it will ONLY become a place to dump things! :))

2.) Make my bed every morning. It is amazing how much a made bed can make a room feel tidy (and inviting)!

Who wants to join me in the master bedroom challenge? It's time we take back this important room in our home and give ourselves a place where we can relax and rejuvenate! If you aren't sure where to start, or get stuck along the way, please feel free to contact me! I will be happy to help get you started and help you stay on track!