Making Home Your Happy Place: A Reading Plan to Help You Overcome OverwhelmSample

Day 1: Determine an Item’s “Home” and Boundary Lines

Here are the five simple steps designed to help you clear clutter quickly and confidently:

1. Determine an item’s “home” and boundary lines.
2. Identify how it serves your present life.
3. Assess whether you’ll use it.
4. Choose to keep, donate, or sell it.
5. Free up headspace by removing it.

Each step tackles a specific roadblock. By using all five together, you’ll create a home that reflects your values, supports your daily routines, and feels lighter and more manageable.

For starters, let’s talk about where items are allowed to live. Your home’s space has limits, and when you don’t set limits on your stuff, it spreads. Fast.

The Bible speaks of the importance of boundaries in Psalm 16:6 and elsewhere. Physical boundaries are vital, and they can be as simple as using a container to help you define enough and stop the sprawl.

Let’s say your kitchen is overflowing with mugs. Instead of pulling each one out and agonizing over whether you like it enough, try, “I’ll keep enough to fit this one shelf.” Then work within that boundary, focusing on what fits inside the space you’ve defined.

Boundaries shift the goal from “declutter everything” to “fill this space with only what serves me.” It’s a built-in finish line. And when you can see the end, it’s easier to start.

One of my students, Laura, thought she needed a revolutionary hack to deal with her chaotic bathroom drawer. But once she set a clear boundary for how many products she wanted to see and use, everything shifted. She used small containers to define space for only the essentials. No more digging, no more overwhelm. In her words, “Seeing less in that space gives me a calmer start to the day.”

Your “enough” line will look different depending on the space, the season, and your family’s needs. When my boys swapped LEGOs for football gear, our toy bins shrank while our sports shelf grew. That was our life flexing—and our boundaries flexing with it.

Tip: Create a container for your stuff before it takes over. For example, “Only what fits in this drawer.” Having abuilt-in goal will quickly simplify your decision-making.

Prayer: Dear God, thank you for the value of clear boundaries. On this day, please lead me toward less clutter and more order in my home and in my heart. Amen.