Reach Your Goals By Simplifying Your Home
It's almost the end of February already. If you’re anything like me, the oomph you originally had for New Year's resolutions is as dead as the Christmas wreath still on the front door.
I set healthy goals like exercising regularly, writing more and making homemade healthy meals, but the cold temperatures, the return of the newest season of Blacklist and, frankly, the number of things I want to do are overwhelming me a bit and lulling me into submission.
Sound familiar?
Well, it’s time to get back on track. And that’s where simplifying our homes can help. Seriously. Help. A lot.
By making daily routines and healthy new habits as convenient and easy as possible, we are way more likely to make changes that stick. Our environment plays a massive role in our habits, and even small little things - like for example not having good lighting where you cut up vegetables - is enough to make all your good intentions vanish as fast as the Christmas chocolates.
So I encourage you to put some things into action around your home in order to make your new year’s vision for yourself a reality.
"Vision without action is just a dream. Action without vision is merely exercise. Vision with action changes the world.” ~ Nelson Mandela
HOW TO SIMPLIFY YOUR HOME TO ENCOURAGE BETTER HABITS AND EASIER ROUTINES
Take a look at the resolutions or goals you have for yourself. Maybe it’s getting healthier, spending more time on a passion project, spending less time on your phone, inviting friends over more, or simply finding more quiet time for yourself.
Then think about the physical steps you need to take to accomplish those things. Designate spots in your home to gather together and lay out all the practical tools you need. They’ll be easy to find when you need them and out on display to remind you of them. You can probably find stylish ways of doing this - for example having a pretty basket in the entryway for your yoga mat, sneakers and water bottle. You may need to rearrange things a bit from the way you’ve always done it - perhaps you reorganize the kitchen so that your oils and cooking spices are handy to the stove instead of tucked away in an awkward cupboard.
Here are some more ideas:
Polished Habitat
gather exercise gear all together so you don’t have to hunt everything down to get outside or to the gym. I keep a bowl near my door with earbuds and lip balm and my keys so I can get outside quickly for a walk.
if you have an at-home treadmill decorate the area around it so that it’s enticing to be there. Maybe that means mounting a small tv or tablet on the wall in front or simply putting it in front of a window with a view.
install a hook in your bedroom or entryway for your gym bag and keep everything you need in it. In fact, get duplicates of a brush, towel, earbuds, deodorant, etc. and stock your bag with it so it’s always ready to grab.
Pull your cookbooks out to a spot where you can easily see them, and mark your favourite healthy recipes with a bookmark so they’re easy to find. I actually copy down my favourites for the month on recipe cards and tack them up on the wall in front of my work counter in the kitchen. Can’t get any easier than that.
Create a drink station so that it’s super easy to make your morning smoothies, coffee and tea.
install track lighting under kitchen cupboards to light up work surfaces well
make sure to have good table or floor lamps in spots where you read or play games
Lay out your yoga mat in a permanent spot in your home so you’ll be inspired to use it more often. That may mean rearranging furniture, but it’s a functional and beautiful way to live!
Buy enough pairs of reading glasses to have at various spots around the house where you’ll need them (beside, kitchen, office, etc) and keep them in pretty little bowls so they have a home and always make it back there.
Create a calm corner just for you to use for meditating, journaling or reading. It could be in a corner that’s not used or a spare room that you can make better use of. Make it pretty and cozy and inviting.
Keep healthy snacks in the fridge and pantry gathered together in a pretty basket or bin that you (and others in the house) can easily pull out and put away again.
Set up a spot in your home specifically for a hobby or project you’d like to work on. Maybe that means reworking your guest room or basement or attic area so that you can do some painting or writing or photography. Arrange all the equipment and tools you need in a pretty way so that it’s all right where you need it and you can jump into the project without spending a half hour trying to hunt things down and set up.
Hang a valet hook in your bedroom and get in the habit of setting out your outfit the night before, making mornings go smoother and helping you get out the door on time.
Rearrange your living room or sitting room so that the furniture all faces each other and there are tables by each chair or sofa for drinks. When you have a space set up for conversation, you’ll use it more for that purpose instead of just watching tv.
Rearrange your kitchen to make it super easy for cooking and baking.
Create a designated phone station in the house and get in the habit of dropping your phone there whenever you get home (and keeping it there!).
Set up a table in front of where you sit and watch TV and put out a jigsaw puzzle so that you work on it while watching, instead of eating all evening! The same concept goes for knitting or some other thing to keep your hands busy during downtime.
DIY a standing desk at home so that when you’re on the computer you’re not sitting all the time.
Spending a little time this weekend simplifying your home and making it super-functional will give you a big boost to get back to your goals and intentions for the year.
You’ve got this.
