I spent an afternoon reordering the basement. We threw away huge black bags of accumulated junk, stored loose toys in large bins, hauled white bags of give aways to the back of my van, and moved furniture around to make more space.
My daughter is moving into our old office (the one Jon and I have shared since we moved here) because there is just not enough space for two females in the same bedroom. Her younger sister is rejoicing since she is the neat freak of the two. Jon will install his computer upstairs for now, and I will work at a table in what we call our “art room” (former dining room hung with all my favorite art prints).
As we threw things away, I noticed that I created more than physical space for things. Even my mind became clearer, freer. I could imagine possibilities for the spaces as they became empty of miscellaneous papers, books, chipped plates, old paint cans, dress up clothes, and puzzle pieces.
Sometimes in our rush to plan for the school year, we work in a cluttered mental space. We have lots of voices telling us what to do that will be more, better, and different with our kids. Those ideas pile up like so many old books. Bits and pieces of good ideas are scattered across the floors of our imaginations. We stand in the middle and feel helpless to pick between them.
Declutter your mind this week.
Go back to a few principles and then discard the clutter of what other people are doing.
- Live a writing lifestyle, not a curricula.
- Listen to your children.
- Read good books.
- Don’t give up. Whatever you do counts.
- Enjoy writing. If it causes pain, stop.
- Spend more time with your kids and less time online talking about them. (Ouch – I can benefit from this one right about now!)
- Offer your children beautiful ideas so that they have something to dream about.
- Joy is the best teacher so foster a joyful home.
- Drink tea and eat cookies every week.
Keep reading for more encouragement for simplifying and the One Thing Principle.
