Minimalism is Motherhood's Best Friend
Many women stepping into motherhood feel pressure to start buying so many things filling their house to be a "proper family home." I am here to tell you that society's norms are not working and the 300,000 items in an average home (in the USA and I am sure Australia is similar) are slowly robbing women of feeling the best they can in their homes. And yes, there have been studies done that show women are more affected by clutter than men.
My journey into motherhood came at ease and while amazing support from those around me was a huge contributor, I do not think I would have had the same experience if my home was not set up to support me as well. So let me share some of the reasons that make minimalism motherhood's best friend.
More Stuff = More Time
Everything you own takes up a little bit of time by owning them. Some items we own take up a lot of time, like the dishes, for example. We spend a while each day washing them and putting them away. Other items take up only a few seconds every once and a while, like objects we don't really use but touch to move out of the way when searching for other items.
Most individual items are not robbing us of valuable time but when there are hundreds or thousands of items we don't really need in our home, a few seconds here and there over and over again through your day really do add up. With minimalism, mums free up so much of the time where they would spend with lots of stuff and can focus on being present.
Clutter Clouds Thought
Everything you see takes up a small amount of mental processing. You know the feeling of freedom when you walk into a hotel room and it is all clean and clutter-free? Compare that to the feeling when you come home to a mess and have dozens or hundreds of items in view.
Clutter is mostly items that don't have a home, we can't decide if we even want it, or there's really not much intentionality behind it. It is basically like seeing a bunch of decisions to make seeing an excess of unorganized stuff.
Intentionality Makes Prioritising Easier
Minimalism is all about being intentional with our space, time, money, attention, and ecological impact allowing what actually serves us into our lives. A minimalists mindset fine-tunes your priorities skills and that is so helpful being a mum with all the many many things we need to do in a day and trying to make it all work.
For myself, minimalism has been a major game-changer in being able to see what is really important and let go of what doesn't matter. This skill helps me so much in managing all my different hats as a mother.
Simplicity Helps Support a Child's Development
A good example of what I am talking about is when there is a kid's classroom covered in bright colorful math posters, they would be able to learn better with more focused stimulation. A mother who practices minimalism is more likely to provide an environment that is not overstimulating.
The Focus is on Joy
Just to get on the same page, I am sure you are probably aware that minimalism is not the pursuit of a bare minimum amount of stuff but a focus on only owning stuff that brings joy. Set up and maintain a home with a focus on Joy and the removal of what doesn't bring joy and the way you feel inside it will be amazing.
When you look around and love everything that you see, your mood is lifted to one of joy, and your whole day in that house is positively affected. A mum who lives in a house like I am describing is setting herself up for happier motherhood.
So that's why minimalism is motherhood's best friend. At the end of the day, even with all those amazing benefits, minimalism should be used as a tool, not an obsession. If you'd like to share my best friend minimalism and want a lot of help along the journey of befriending minimalism, definitely put your name on the waitlist for Cut Clutter & Cultivate Joy.
