Your home environment matters even more during the winter months when you’re spending more time at home than usual. Whether you have Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) or you love the colder temps and Hygge vibes, a calming environment is key. 

We all know the benefits of a clutter-free home: more energy, less stress, increased productivity, more time, etc, but what most people don’t know is that we make several decisions that keep our environment from being all that it can be––most of the time without even knowing it. 

If you want to stay overwhelmed in your home (which most of us do not want to do), implement these nine tactics. 

1. Let Guilt Prevent You From Parting With Something
   • We all have that item or two that we want to get rid of, but feel bad about. Maybe it was a gift from a loved one or you spent a lot of money on it. Either way, keeping an item because of guilt is not a healthy reason. 
2. Convince Yourself You “Really Do Need It Someday”
   • Sure, you may need it someday, but you’re letting fear get in the way of taking action. The worst case scenario is that you buy it again, but I promise you, 99% of the time you’ll be fine without it.
3. Buy in Bulk When You Don’t Have the Storage Space
   • I totally support buying in bulk IF you have the storage space for the extra items otherwise, you’re handing yourself a problem. Buy based on the restrictions of your space. Period.
4. Promise Yourself You’ll Wear That Piece of Clothing Once You Lose _ Pounds
   • Rather than try to fit back into something that inevitably won’t fit the same as it did before, treat yourself to something new for reaching your goal.
5. Stock More Than 15 Cans of Food When You Grocery Shop Weekly
   • There’s no need to have a huge stockpile of canned goods if you grocery shop weekly or biweekly. Buy what you need for the week, keep a few extras on hand just in case, but resist the temptation to always have 15-20 cans on hand.
6. Tell Yourself You’re Going to Get Organized, But Never Schedule Time to Do It
   • The classic mistake most people make is to not treat home organizing time as sacred. Schedule it. Treat it like an appointment that you can’t cancel. Reward yourself when you’ve completed your project.
7. Never Take the Bags of Purged Items to a Donation Center
   • If you’ve done the hard work of purging items, don’t forget the last time which is to get it out of the house! Decide when and where you’re going to take your items before you start organizing. 
8. Impulse Buy Items
   • Remember, YOU are in control of what comes into your home. Fight the urge to impulse buy because something is on sale or because it’s cute. Most of the time, you don’t need these items and will change your mind with a little 
9. Give in to the Diderot Effect
   • Making one purchase can quickly domino into feeling like we need to replace several things. Consume less and be intentional about your spending habits.