Research backs it up: in one study from the University of Toledo, toddlers were given two play sessions, one with 16 toys and one with 4. When only four toys were available, the children played longer with each item and used them more creatively. The researchers concluded that an abundance of toys may create distraction, while fewer toys encourage deeper, more focused play (Dauch et al., 2018).

The hardest part about perfectionism isn’t the standard itself but the pressure that comes with it. When it all feels like a test you might fail, it’s just easier not to start at all. Over time, that pressure builds into shame: “I should be able to handle this,” “I should have fixed this by now.” What I’ve learned? Perfectionism doesn’t protect us from failure, it keeps us in it.

I’ve learned that letting go isn’t about being ready. Most of the time, we’re not. We just reach a point where the weight of holding on feels heavier than the thought of letting go.

Shame creeps in when we start connecting our surroundings to our worth. A messy kitchen becomes "I'm failing at being a mom." But clutter is just stuff in the wrong place, or too much stuff for the space it's in.

Sometimes, when we try to make organizing decisions right away, it gets overwhelming fast. Instead of sorting and decluttering and figuring out where things go... let’s just start by grouping similar items together.