• Blog
  • Free Training
  • Using HomeschoolingTorah
  • Parenting
  • Conferences
  • Biblical Holidays
  • Special Needs
  • Preschool
  • Community
  • Login
  • Contact Us

Homeschooling Torah

Practical Homeschooling for the Torah-Observant Family

  • Take a Tour
  • What Membership Includes
  • Samples
  • FAQs
  • Testimonials
  • Join Today
You are here: Home / Blog / Keeping Life Uncluttered

Keeping Life Uncluttered

Photo by Jess Bailey on Unsplash

At HomeschoolingTorah, members can access our free e-book on how to organize their homes. Now let’s tackle keeping our homes free of clutter!

Here are some things I’ve noticed about clutter:

Homemaking can reveal my heart.

In my own life, clutter has taught me that my heart is not quite as pure as I’d like to pretend it is. First, I’m very quick to give up. I’m also lazy. I’d rather sit online and read Facebook!

You see, it’s relatively easy to declutter a house. Keeping it uncluttered requires character and discipline. Ug!

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).

“Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth” (Proverbs 10:4).

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:23-24).

If you find that the root of clutter in your home is actually your heart, then do what I did. Write verses like these on small cards and post them in the cluttered places of your home. (No, these cards won’t count as more clutter!) Read them over and over until you’ve memorized them. God’s Word certainly has the power to change you!

Decluttering is a daily job.

I can’t emphasize daily routines enough! Yes, your children need morning chores, but how many of us mothers need to be reminded to do our chores, too?

  • Have you made your bed this morning?
  • Have you dressed in clean, attractive clothing?
  • Did you put away your pajamas and dirty clothes?
  • Did you eat your breakfast?
  • Have you washed the dishes?

Don’t forget the power of basic routines. Set up simple, easy-to-remember routines that will guide you through each day. Again, if you’d like to keep it really simple, just write your routines on small cards and post them around your home. You could also create a homemaking notebook that will guide you through your day.

  • Here on our site, we have provided you with a variety of practical Homemaking Forms (members only) that you can customize for your own home.
  • Each day, clean out your purse and car. When those are neat, you’ll feel neat all over!
  • Each afternoon, walk through your house with someone else’s eyes. What things would look like clutter to a visitor?
  • Aim to do chores for no more than 30 minutes a day, 6 days a week (Exodus 20:8-9). Don’t let housecleaning take over your life.

Your children must join you in your routines, though, or they can quickly destroy any order you’ve created. Inspect their rooms twice a day (after breakfast and before supper work well for me). My husband is famous for saying, “Don’t expect what you won’t inspect.” He’s right! Kids have got my lazy streaks all figured out.

If they do well, consider rewarding them. Our verses above reveal that God rewards us, too. I especially like the “Blessing Chart” from Doorposts.

Clutter is in the eye of the beholder.

Yes, I often tell people that my husband is neat and I am not. Most days I clean for his sake. But it’s true that others are looking at my home. I’m not the only person affected by my clutter. I need to remember to think of others and not just myself.

For our family, scheduling times of hospitality was a huge help in conquering clutter. If I know that a family is coming over for dinner Friday evening, I’m very likely to clean up the mess! If someone is coming over for a Bible study at my home on Thursday, then I’m likely to get off my bum and get working!

In addition, hospitality will give me a balanced perspective on cleaning. If I have many children, young babies, or health problems, I may not always be physically capable of getting my house as clean as Martha Steward might. Regardless of whether my house is “perfect” or not, when I invite others in, I’m forced to focus on people rather than possessions.

Sometimes clutter is just a stage in my life that I know will someday pass. As author Jackie Wellwood states,

“I can see now that due to the sheer volume of work represented by the pile on the desk and the finite resource of my own energy, I will have some degree of clutter on my desk at this stage of my life” (p. 131, The Busy Mom’s Guide to Simple Living).

Don’t let clutter get too comfortable.

I have seven children. Does that mean my house should be seven times bigger than the average bear’s? No way!

Possessions are like bunnies; they keep multiplying! If you want to conquer clutter, put a limit on how much room they have to grow.

For instance, a small kitchen is more likely to stay neat than a large kitchen. A small space for homeschooling is less likely to get out of control than an entire room. A small purse is less likely to fill with junk than a tote bag.

For our children, we keep their toys in a common place, not spread throughout the house. Each child has a “treasure box” (a plastic Rubbermaid container) under his or her bed, and feathers, rocks, birthday cards, and bits of string must fit inside. If the box gets too full, the child has to decide which treasures will stay and which must go.

The same principle should be applied to me as mother, too. Just because my “treasure box” is house-sized, doesn’t mean that I should keep truckloads of junk.

Here are some good rules:

  • One in, one out. Buy a new pair of shoes? Give away an old pair.
  • Only handle things once. Sort the mail immediately. Put things away immediately.
  • Don’t put things down; put them away.
  • Don’t walk past a mess. Stop and pick it up right now.

Make your home a priority.

No, homemaking isn’t your top priority. (God, your husband, and your children come first.) But your home is definitely important, God says. Make it a loving, peaceful sanctuary, where clutter doesn’t distract from the most important things of life.

Hits: 70

Why Not Join Us?

Tidbits of Truth for HomeschoolingIf you’re not yet a member of Homeschooling Torah, then you should definitely check us out today. You’ll get access to this content and so much more, including curriculum for preschool to high school, teacher and homemaking resources, and an amazing community of like-minded families. Go on, join us! You know you want to! 🙂

Get Started Now

About Anne Elliott

Curriculum Developer, HomeschoolingTorah
Married 29 years
Mom to 7 kids
Loves to Bake, Read, and Play the Piano

Comments

  1. Debby Schmidt says

    January 14, 2011 at 11:02 pm

    There’s a verse that I remind myself of FREQUENTLY as I am continuing to de-clutter and to get certain areas in order, and well as while I am reminding myself to begin to routinely put things away after using them. It’s something like “Let all things be done decently and in order” – it helps me with staying on task, also! (I think the verse is in the New Testament)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Search

From the Blog

  • Our Philosophy & Methods
  • Using the Bible in Every Subject
  • Using HomeschoolingTorah
  • News & Announcements
  • Parenting
  • Daily Conversations
  • Time Management
  • Organization
  • Teaching Multiple Ages
  • High School
  • Preschool
  • Special Needs
  • Math
  • Reading
  • Science
  • Notebooking
  • Theology
  • Biblical Holidays
  • Mornings with Anne
  • 2016 Family Conference
  • 2017 Family Conference
  • 2019 Doorkeepers Conference
  • 2020 Family Conference
  • 2021 Family Conference
  • 2022 Family Conference
  • FREE VIDEO TEACHER TRAINING

Visit Us on the Web

YouTube MeWe Gab Blog Feed

Join Our Community Forum

Online Community

Homeschooling Torah

Practical Homeschooling for the Torah-Observant Family

Why Join Us

  • Take a Tour
  • What Membership Includes
  • Samples
  • FAQs
  • Testimonials
  • Join Today

Support

  • About Us
  • Doctrinal Statement
  • FAQs
  • Privacy Policy
  • Our Calendar
  • Contact Us
  • Terms & Conditions

Helpful Links

  • Curriculum Overview
  • Teacher Training
  • Required Textbooks
  • Join Preschool Only
  • Prefer Printed Books?
  • Community Forum
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2023 · A Ministry of Foundations Press, Inc. · Perry, MI 48872 · Website by e9designs