Declutter Your Chiropractic Office & Life

Decluttering your home and office will inevitably make things more simple! When we first opened our practice in Colorado, we lived in a 2 bedroom condo and only moved stuff into the condo that made sense for daily living. We were lucky in that we were able to leave behind in our parents homes, everything that didn't serve our mission, to open and grow a successful chiropractic office. Same with our office. We were very intentional with the items we bought to fill our space and were careful not to over buy unnecessary supplies, furniture, or gadgets. 

When we moved back to Kansas City 6 years ago, since we were moving into a house with plenty of storage and space, we moved all of the stuff we had been storing in our parents homes, into our own, and it felt overwhelming. It's nice to have a house full of things, but those things takeaway from time spent with our kids and in our office. We've been slowly(with 3 small kids, everything gets done somewhat slowly, haha) getting rid of everything that's unnecessary and doesn't serve our Lifestyle Practice Builders mission. Hindsight, I wish we had never allowed all of these things into our house.

If you feel held back by the stuff in your home and office, then this is the time to declutter! Allow yourself to disconnect from unnecessary things and sell or donate what isn't serving you daily. Rich and I have made the hard choice to get rid of things that at one time were special, like Rich's enormous CD collection, childhood drawings and paperwork, furniture we had through important moments in life, and more...but time spent with our family and building our office is more important than holding on, storing, organizing all of these things! We also realized our kids will ultimately want very few of these things when we're gone.

If you're someone who has a hard time letting go, then here are some benefits, borrowed from Becoming Minimalist, that might make it easier for you:

• "Less to clean. Cleaning is already enough of a chore, but having to clean around things you have zero emotional attachment to (or worse, actively dislike) makes cleaning the house much more stressful.
• Less to organize. Finding things suddenly become easier. Things don’t just “disappear” anymore. You can actually move around your home and enjoy the space, instead of moving around things that are in the way.
• Less stress. Looking around at the clutter is a nausea-inducing sight once your home becomes cluttered enough. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to look around and see a home you love?
• Less debt. Spending less time shopping for material possessions and adding to the clutter means your wallet and bank accounts remain fuller, your credit cards’ statements are lower, and your home doesn’t get filled with costly things you don’t need.
• More financial freedom. Most American households live paycheck to paycheck (59% according to a recent survey done by Charles Schwabback in May 2019.) Nearly half of those surveyed carry credit card debt. Decluttering, paired with minimalism, will help you build up savings to keep you protected in case of unexpected emergencies.
• More energy for your greatest passions. With less debt, more financial freedom, and a clean home, you can now focus your energy on the things you enjoy instead of worrying about “Keeping up with the Joneses.” This will ultimately make you happier."

Ready to make the move? Then here are some tips we've found online for decluttering your space:

• Start with an hour. Put it on your calendar and hold yourself to it.
• Start in the area that you spend the most time in-family room, your closet/bedroom, kitchen, garage...
• Fill a trash bag of things to donate.
• Fill the back/trunk of your car.
• Take pictures of things you want to sell and post them on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, or NextDoor.
• Donate clothes you haven't worn in the last year.
• Create a checklist for areas in your home/office you need to declutter
• Ask a friend to help. Someone who will hold you to getting rid of things you don't need, but think you do.

Ultimately having a goal and a plan of attack for decluttering your home is best. With our kids growing into different stages, changing trends, and growing to-dos, decluttering our home has become an ever evolving task. We've worked really hard to get the main level of our home decluttered for maximum efficiency by buying more functional furniture and selling/donating anything not being used or needed. The basement on the other hand has been more challenging. We're still working on the kids' playroom, our office, Rich's music studio, storage space, and garage. These aren't areas we use daily though, so we're not as concerned with them, but we do spend time when we can getting them up to maximum operating order.

We hope you've found these tips helpful. We can't tell you how important it is to let this stuff go. If it's not serving your mission - the time you want to spend starting and growing your office, the time you want to spend with friends or family, or doing other things you love, then LET IT GO!

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