Save Your Sanity In Just 30 Minutes A Week

 Photo Credit: Natalia Hung

THE LIFE-CHANGING MAGIC OF DOING JUST ONE THING

You wouldn’t know it from the state of my living room right now, but I’m not a messy person. I hate clutter. But I’m also a working mom raising two boys under 6, so if I waited until I could tackle the mess perfectly and completely, nothing would ever get done. 

As much as I try not to let the perfect be the enemy of the good, there are some projects that I’ve ignored for so long it’s hard to know where to start. For example, the seven clear plastic bins of my kids’ outgrown clothes taking up half of their closet. Dealing with all of it the way I want to would take hours, if not days. And I definitely don’t have that kind of time.

Chances are, if you’re reading this blog, you’ve got boxes and bins of your own that you know you need to go through, filled with fabulous pre-loved clothing that you want to list on Shop Tomorrows, but even thinking about cracking open those lids is too overwhelming.

Well, what if I told you that 30 minutes a week was all you needed to change your life (without losing your mind)? Here’s the secret: just do one thing.

And when I say “one thing” I mean that literally. Here’s how:

1. Block out a half an hour to yourself some time in the next 7 days. (If you’re reading this on your phone, open your calendar and do it right now!)

2. Quickly sift through your kids’ outgrown clothes and pull out three or four really special pre-loved pieces you know for sure you want to sell. (Don’t overthink it.)

3. Snap some great photos. (Hot tip: good lighting and a clean white background make your stuff look even more appealing. Try poster-board – it’s perfect)

4. Post those gems to your closet straight from your smartphone. (And if this is your first listing, you’ll earn tokens you can use to start shopping right away!)

And that’s it! By chipping away at it just a few items at a time, you’ll make a huge dent without driving yourself insane. 

Once you shift your mindset, you’ll see how easy it is to make these new habits a stress-free part of your everyday routine. PJs suddenly too tight? Instead of tossing them on the pile to “deal with later” (a.k.a. “never,” if you’re me), just take a couple of photos right then and there, and post them on Shop Tomorrows after the kids go to bed.

Every time you sell an item on Shop Tomorrows instead of sending it to the landfill, you’re not just earning tokens to spend on cute new stuff that fits (although that is a big plus). By breaking it down into tiny, totally doable chunks, you can finally release the guilt, cut down the clutter, and give yourself more breathing room–literally and spiritually. You’re also kind of saving the planet… not to mention your sanity.

The point here is progress, not perfection. The Home Edit is not coming over to take “before” and “after” photos… as awesome as that would be. You don’t have to do it all, and definitely not all at once (although if you do have extra time on your hands, here’s our handy guide to a good old-fashioned closet purge, plus some tips on how to donate responsibly). 

There’s no doubt that tidying up is life-changing magic, but when “me time” is so hard to come by that getting a root canal feels like a spa day, we need to let go of the perfectionism, and focus on the much more attainable (not to mention sustainable!) magic of just doing one thing.Trust me, if I can do it, anyone can!