How are you?  Life has been hard.  For some of us the hardships are physical, for others, it might be more emotional or mental.  And it may hit us at different times.  Most days… quarantine has been great for our family.  We really thrive when our life is pared down, however, there are moments when trying to understand the world these days is just draining.  Are we doing enough?  Are we doing too much?  What is the right thing?  Who can we trust?  Who can we believe?  I think the point is… life is too hard and complicated now to have to deal with a home that drains us too. I love this quote from The Nester

Does your home serve and take care of you?  Is it a place for memory making or does it drain you with maintenance, up keep, projects, cleaning, organizing, etc..  It hit me one day… our homes are supposed to serve US, not the other way around!  But so quickly, without us realizing it… we can fall into the trap of our homes calling the shots and they are bossing US around and sucking up our time and our money!   Hold up!  Let’s stop this craziness.

Here are 3 ways to take back control of our homes and allow it to serve us!

1. Have Less.  Mess = Stress.  I know this idea is not a new one, but it’s so important it worth repeating.  When he have less, we clean less, store less, manage less, organize less, spend less… it goes on and on and on.  Our family of 8 is now living in a home almost ½ the size of our home 5 years ago, when we were a family of 6 and we love it. Fight against the culture of more is better.  This is not an overnight project, but it’s worth committing to.  Pick one area at time and go from there. For example, this was our school table for weeks! It was not serving us… we never worked there because it was constantly cluttered. It was our dumping ground. We could move those items off the table, the problem was… we didn’t know where to put any of it. I had to reorg. our storage, purge what did not use and store what we did use. Now, this space serves US! Our next big project is our garage!  (will keep you posted!) If you need a kick in the pants to pare down… just think of exhausting it is to maintain it.

2. Re-examine the intent and role of each space. If it’s not serving you, start making some small changes.

• Do you have a space to sit, rest and recharge? Even just a corner.
• Do you have a place to hang/put things when you get home? Purse? Wallet? Jackets? Mail? Otherwise, you know what happens… any and all surfaces become a dumping ground and can’t be used for what it was intended for.

• Do you have have margin in your space? Is each closet and cupboard packed to the brim? Fight for clear surfaces and empty spaces. It’s a freeing feeling. Purge duplicates and anything that isn’t used regularly. All that extra stuff robs us of our time and energy.
• Are you creating a home that works with our bodies and not against it? Are you eating well and using products that support your body and immune system? Let’s spend our energy trying to stay healthy rather than trying not to get sick. Decrease the toxic load in your home. Also, be mindful about what we listen to in our home. Our wellness is so affected by our environment, our 5 senses. What we see, hear, touch, smell and taste.

3. Celebrate with memories.  Lastly… curate our home and edit ruthlessly.  Our spaces should reflect us, celebrate us and inspire us. What speaks to you? 

Family photos?  Words?  Souveniers?  Momentos?  Books?  We don’t need to get rid of everything, but know that everything that stays requires your time and energy.  Make it something worth your time and energy!  Group your collections. It makes a bigger statement.  

My home continues to be a work in progress. Be intentional with our spaces. They are meant to take care of us. Now, more than ever.