A home that supports your family doesn't start with bins. ​
It starts with a vision.

Read on my website / Read time: 5 minutes

Hi Reader,

Picture your living room at 7 p.m.

The toys are where they landed. A blanket is half off the couch, there are empty cups nobody will claim, and a basket of laundry you’ve been meaning to deal with since Tuesday is still resting on the recliner.

This is usually the time of day, I just can't put another thing away and I'm way to tired to figure out how to organize it better or what baskets to buy for the toys for easy clean up.

You've been there, I'm sure. So, where do you start? How do you organize the family room? A room that's...for the family? Before you GATHER a single item to sort, declutter and possibly organize, you gather your vision.

That’s the G in my G.R.A.C.E. Method. GATHER. It’s deciding, on purpose, how you want this space to function for the people who actually live in it.

Because your living room is truly about what happens there. The connections. The experiences. Movie nights. Homework at the coffee table. The spot where someone melts down after a hard day and someone else makes them laugh five minutes later.

Notice the order. Wisdom first. Understanding second. The beautiful things come last, and they come through knowing what the room is for. Beauty is the icing on the cake. The vision is the foundation.

So before we touch the clutter, let’s GATHER the vision. It’s simpler than you think!

• Gather the people. (15 minutes, over dinner or while in the car or on a walk.) Ask a question like : “What do we want this room to feel like?” Let the kids answer too. Maybe you'll decide “cozy,” “a place we can actually sit,” “somewhere I can build my Legos and not get fussed at.” Remember and visualize it! That short list is your vision, and now it belongs to everyone instead of just you.

I read in an organizing book recently that the living room shouldn't have toys in it or feel like a pre-school and it made me so mad! I had quite the journey to get to my family and even though some days the toys do stress me out, I LOVE seeing them there in the living room. I LOVE my little gentleman playing in there during the day, snuggling with me on the couch.

And this is why having YOUR vision for this space is so important. One person's vision includes no toys whatsoever because the room is for hosting guests. The other mom's vision, mine, is to have the toys that include the family so memories can be made and time can be spent together. And to complete our vision, we bought a sectional couch with room for the whole family, snuggling, and a future blanket fort.

And maybe your kiddos are older, so your vision for the living room, probably looks different! And that's ok. This room is for YOUR family and your family's rhythms.

• Gather the stuff. Not to organize yet. Just to see. Pull it into the open: the things that belong, the things that migrated in from other rooms, the things nobody can name. It's really hard to make the most intentional decision if you can't see the entirety of what you have.

• Gather it into sorted piles. Keep, trash, donate, goes somewhere else. No containers, no label maker, not today. Those come later in the method. Right now it’s just honest sorting against the vision your family came up with. If “cozy and clear” is the goal, that fourth remote and the crispy houseplant already have their answer.

That’s GATHER. One evening, maybe an hour once the dinner is done.

And the coolest part? Your family helped set the vision. They now have ownership over the space too. The room doesn’t have to be perfect. It has to work for the actual people in it. And when it stops working because your kids grew or the season changed, that isn’t failure. That’s your cue to gather a new, fresh vision.

If the hardest part of all this is getting everyone to actually pitch in, I made something for you.

My free guide, 7 Tips For Keeping Your House Organized When You Have a Messy Family, is exactly that. The real-life way to get kids and spouses helping, without turning your home into a chore-chart boot camp.

→ Grab the free Messy Family guide here:

What do you want your living room to feel like?

Hit reply and let me know. Though I may not have time to reply, I read every response.

Be Extraordinary,

Melinda Grace ​ Find me on Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube or Book a 1:1 Call​

ADD A LITTLE BEAUTY TO YOUR LIFE 1. Reclaim Your Space with G.R.A.C.E. BOOK​ My faith-based organizing book and 6-week guide to a calmer, more peaceful home. Over 375 copies of the book and audiobook combined! It will guide you in getting your home organized and creating that calm, peaceful sanctuary you've always dreamed of. The book also comes with LOTS of digital organizing FREEBIES. Get your copy today! 2. ​Book 1:1 In-person or Virtual Organizing Sessions​ Boutique, luxury organizing services for busy moms. I do travel! 3. ​​Listen to a Podcast! 🎧 This week: "How to Declutter Your Home When You Feel Overwhelmed" on the Faith Mom Mentor Podcast with Anne Gurley. We get into involving your whole family and clearing the mental load, not just the stuff. Listen here.

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