Learn to create a pared-down home and a life you love by focusing on the good stuff—because when you prioritize your favorite things, there’s simply no room for clutter.Decluttering influencer and host of the
Paring Down podcast Shannon Leyko challenges you to use, display, and cherish the things you value, leaving no room or desire for anything trivial. Instead of trying to identify clutter by deciding what you
don’t want anymore, you'll find the clutter practically eliminates itself when you simply focus on what you
do use, what you
do love, what you
do want to keep, and how you
do want to live your life.
What would you rather display? A word sign from a home goods store, or your late grandmother’s Bible in a shadow box? What would your daughter prefer for her tea party? Teacups passed down from her great-grandmother, or a plastic set from Amazon? Questions like these lead you to consider how actively using the best of your belongings might, in fact, be a transformative framework for living a meaningful life as a whole, providing you with necessary principles for releasing excess in any area that feels overwhelming, stale, or misaligned. By designing your home and life to reflect what truly matters to you, you can avoid waking up in ten years wondering why you haven't done the things that are most important to you.
With her signature wit and research-driven storytelling, Leyko emphasizes three phases of creating a meaningful home and life:
- Feel—Learn the cold, hard truth that belongings are not psychologically neutral.
- Do—Apply the practical lessons of keeping what matters and parting with the rest.
- Dream—Envision a home that feels calm and personalized, a calendar that feels intentional, and a life that is fully aligned with your newly defined values.
Stop saving your best things and dreams for “someday” and start enjoying them now, building the mindset—and the momentum—needed to kick out the clutter that dulls your daily life.
