When it comes to decluttering my home, yard projects, crafting, cooking, or home decor, I’m tempted to think of everything in terms of projects. Plan the project and start, power through it, and enjoy the glorious, Pinterest-worthy end product.
In reality, the demands of everyday life make it easy to get discouraged or abandon the project altogether, leaving a partially completed version of what I was imagining.
Here’s what I’m discovering—focusing on growth and progress changes everything.
For example: Decluttering an overwhelming space all at once is daunting, and even if we set aside time to get this project done, other things often come up or your mental energy is exhausted trying to do it all in one go. Setting a timer for 5-15 minutes per day to declutter a portion of the room often can be scheduled every day and is easy to complete. Plus, it will energize you to see constant progress!
This is our second summer on our acreage and my second gardening season. I planned a few updates to our garden, including adding a path, lights, a fence, an arch, and another garden box. We were able to complete some of these ideas right away, but are waiting on a few materials to arrive to finish everything.
I am reminded to find joy in the small improvements we’ve done instead of being frustrated that we couldn’t tackle the whole thing at once.
I’m choosing to say goodbye to achieving perfection and instead dwelling on the joy and gratitude in small steps of progress.
Little Minimalist on the Prairies 