I was scrolling through social media recently, and I came across a method of cleaning called “Pile Cleaning.”

If you’re wondering what Pile Cleaning is, it’s pretty much exactly what it sounds like. When a room is overwhelmingly messy and needs tidying, you basically just throw everything into a big pile in the center of the room, and go from there– usually making smaller piles for things that need to go in certain places or rooms. You can even declutter as well, by having smaller piles for donation or throwing away. Then you can take each smaller pile in turn and organize accordingly.

The main reason the Pile Cleaning method works is that you can literally see your progress as you go, which motivates you to organize/clean more. You can see the pile getting smaller in the first step, and then you can see each smaller pile being taken care of and going away in the second step.

Pile Cleaning is basically a visual progress report, and boy, is it satisfying. It’s so rewarding to have an incredibly messy room and, by the work of your own hands, see it become clean and organized. That’s why before-and-after pictures (even if we aren’t involved in the actual work!) feel so gratifying– we love a good progress story.

Progress in Reality

Before and after photos show progress, but they don’t tell the whole story. Progress is rarely linear. In the Pile Cleaning method, for example, there are going to be times in which you need a break/your kid needs a snack and you don’t go back to the process for days, or there are items that you can’t seem to decide where to put them or if you should even keep them at all, or you just can’t organize anymore and you go back to your typical cluttered existence– until you get frustrated and start the process over again.

In the Christian Minimalism journey, we can sometimes feel like we are taking one step forward and two steps back. Changing our worldview and behaviors around consumption, purchasing, and what’s most important doesn’t happen overnight. It can take a long time to rewire how we have thought and behaved for decades.

We can sometimes get discouraged when progress is taking a long time and isn’t linear. But we can also be reminded that God is with us and guiding us, helping us to simplify and focus on what matters most. We can always get back into the process and try again, giving ourselves the grace that God gives us every day.

So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up.

Galatians 6:9

Progress can be slow. Progress can be difficult. Progress can sometimes look and feel like we are moving backwards. But progress is always worth it– because we are becoming more of who God is calling us to be.

How is God inviting YOU to continue making progress, even when it’s hard?

Did you like this post? Check out the Christian Minimalism book!