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Now that school is back in, I am ready to get my house organized!!! We are starting to get into some good family routines, and I am anxious to add some great decluttering and beautifying routines into our new schedule. I’m so excited to introduce Brittany Graham to you!! Brittany is the creator of @HappyHomeHum !! She is amazing at getting and keeping things organized in her home. I am so happy she is here to talk to us on the podcast about how to get our home in ship shape!

Also, we get to hear from Lindy Shock from @EnochStudies, in our Spoonful of Spirit segment, all about the ABC’s of Repentance.

Listen below or through your favorite podcast app!

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Show Notes:

Hillary: Why do people have such a hard time getting and staying organized?

Brittany’s response:

While there are probably more than the ones I’ll share today, here are 5 main reasons why:

They don’t know how to create effective organization systems that actually stick.
They are overwhelmed by alllll of the things in their entire home and have no idea where to start.
They struggle for one reason or another with letting go of items that don’t actually serve them or their family members.
They think it has to be perfect and give up before even trying.
They live with other people (namely their spouse or kids!) ha!

And, I just have to say that all of these are valid things. There’s a lot of psychology that goes into all of this, but I think the main takeaway that helps combat some of these is that your organization will get better as you start playing around with it. It doesn’t have to stay that way forever, so try it out, and if it doesn’t work, change it. It’s all a part of the process. Also, organization is a skill. If you’re overwhelmed, start with something super small, like a junk drawer or spice cabinet. Starting small can help you build up momentum for the bigger spaces.

Hillary: You have an awesome Hum Making System you’ve put together. Can we go through the 4 steps in the system? (Brittany’s system has recently been renamed the HAPPY HOME HUM PLANNER)

Brittany’s response:
1. Repair - which includes repairing (or upgrading) your home and furniture

2. Clean & Declutter - this helps us get a nice and clean base, and helps us know what stuff we are working with

3. Organize - Taking the things we’ve kept and organizing them into effective systems using baskets or bins, and labels

4. Beautify - Taking it all and making it pretty and personal for you and your family.

So, for the system (PLANNER - GRAB THAT LINK HERE!!), my goal was to really break down every potential space that people have in their homes into months and weeks to take the edge off of organization overwhelm. It’s a system that has helped me, personally, and I am so excited to be able to share it with others!

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Hillary: Why is this all so important to you?

Brittany: I think in a lot of ways, when life gets crazy (who am I kidding - it’s always crazy), it’s nice to be able to go and organize something and have it instantly decrease some of the craziness. For example, when you organize your sock drawer, you know that you won’t reach in and waste a couple of minutes trying to find a matching pair of socks or get stuck with holy socks. Decluttering and cleaning our homes - or just taking care of our space to me is a form of self care, and can really be therapeutic. Just like doing other hard things, like exercising, or eating well, organizing can impact us in ways that we may not realize at first.

Researchers from Brigham Young University actually did a study about homes and how families treated each other. They found that the square footage and organization and everything actually mattered less than how the people felt about their homes. In essence, the way we feel about our homes can affect our mental well-being. In the article, they even suggested hanging family pictures to help family members feel important and connected. I just loved that!

I also just know so many people who feel embarrassed about their homes or feel like they don’t even know where to start to make a comfortable space for their family. Then, there are people who aren’t able to buy a house right now and are having a hard time figuring out how to maximize the space that they do have in order to meet their needs. Since this is a skill that I have been blessed with, I am really hoping to break things down for others so they can find greater joy in their homes today with their families.

Hillary: You compare our homes to temples. Can you expand on that for us?

Brittany: For centuries, temples have been holy places where individuals symbolically leave the world to grow closer to God, to feel His spirit, to receive comfort and direction, and to learn more about His ways. At first, the mountains served as temples because they were a high place, symbolically to going closer to God.

D&C 109: 8 Organize yourselves; aprepare every needful thing, and establish a house, even a bhouse of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of corder, a dhouse of God;

-love applying to home

-temples, other holy religious buildings

-peaceful, calm, clean, orderly, and have beautiful music and art that help us remember God.

I try to do things to increase the peace, order, and inspiring music and art in my own home.

-end goal of all of the things I do for my home

-create an inviting and comfortable space for my family where God’s spirit can dwell. If my relationships are suffering for the sake of having my house perfectly perfect, then I have lost sight of that goal.

Hillary: Anything else you’d like to share?

Brittany: Yes! I have personally suffered with my own mental health battles and these experiences have deeply affected my approach with HappyHomeHum. I want anyone who is suffering loneliness, depression, anxiety, or anything else to know that I see you. I get that it’s so hard. It can be so hard to get going and do the things that you deeply want to do. (Or wish that you wanted to do!) Still, we have all been born with God-given desire to be better. This is a really good thing, but Satan is really good at twisting that desire to our detriment by setting our minds on the many ways in which we may be falling short. This can leave us feeling less-than and hopeless. In this world inundated with social media and pinterest perfection, it’s vital that we learn the art of NOT being perfect and being secure in our shortcomings. The only way that I feel we can really do this is through faith in Jesus Christ, and trust that through His grace, we, and our families can be whole in ways that we could never achieve on our own. That thought is so comforting to me.

And beyond this, even just a little bit of effort can go a long way. Think of the widow’s mite in the New Testament. Through the merciful grace of God, our tiny efforts can become more magnificent than we would imagine. That thought applies to life, relationships, and even our homes. So, whether you’re organizing with leftover yogurt containers or bins from the container store, I know that you will find joy as you take steps towards making your home a little bit better.

Access our 3 Weeks of Dinner Ideas in our Freebie Resource Library!

A little about Brittany:

She’s been married for 10 years this December. She has 4 kiddos. Her husband is an accountant and works from home, and she is currently homeschooling my kiddos. They love to go on little outings like nature walks or to museums and sing songs. Her husband served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to France before they got married, so he loves to cook all sorts of different types of food. It’s their way of touring the world with their taste buds. She loves anything creative like playing music, decorating her home, and gardening. She and her husband love watching movies (including foreign films and Hallmark specials together.

Another fun thing about Brittany- she is sister in laws with our friend, Hannah Stevenson, creator of Lily & Thistle. We have had Hannah on our podcasts several times. Scroll down a bit for those lessons. And check out Hannah’s AMAZING Watercolor School HERE!!!