Is your space dragging you down?  Imagine, just for a minute, that you’re visiting someone’s home when there’s clutter and craziness everywhere?  Dishes are piled in the sink and on the counter, and the desk is filled with unorganized stacks of papers.  How did it make you feel? 

Now picture this.  You visit another friend, a friend who’s home is organized with a place for everything.  It has colors you love, and makes you feel instantly calm and peaceful?  Has this ever happened to you?  Your Space Matters.  Our environment has a significant impact on our well-being and our mental focus.  I can relate because I’ve been there too many times!  As we go about our day, following our crazy schedules, it’s so easy to get caught up in life and ignore this place we call home.

Then one day we wake up and notice that things around us are looking a bit worn and tired. There are rooms we avoid because we don’t feel comfortable there, but we can’t figure out why.  Sometimes we’re unorganized and often late for work or carpool because we can’t find the car keys.  Maybe, like me, your desk gets piled with papers and “stuff” to the point where focusing on work is a waste of time.  Does this sound a little bit familiar?

And worst of all, because we feel this way, it starts to impact the way we act around other people and how we respond to them…even if we don’t realize it.  You know what I mean.  The kitchen counter is piled with a PTA project that needs to be finished, so you’re stressed.  Then the kids start clamoring for your attention…and you snap at them.  Or you’re embarrassed to have friends over because your kitchen “doesn’t look as good as their kitchen.”

We’ve all been there at one time or another, and it’s not a fun place to be.  Now’s the time to sit back, take a deep breath, and make a plan to design a calmer life at home.  Here are my    3 secrets to make it happen:

Secret #1:  Define your values and priorities

Start by making a list of everything that HOME means to you. Do you want it to be a retreat to come home to at the end of a long hectic day?  Do you love to welcome family and friends?  Next make a list of your priorities in order of importance.  But be sure that they fit what you value most about home.  A good example of this would be loving to cook but dreading it because your kitchen is always a mess.  Or you love bright colors and your walls are painted dark green.

Secret #2:  Discover what works for you and your lifestyle

How do you want to live in your home?  If you love to be relaxed and casual, then choose furniture styles that reflect that.  When low maintenance is something you value, a clean and simple style with few accessories might be the way to go.

How do you want to feel when you’re at home?  Do you want to feel relaxed, unhurried, and stress free?  What about energetic, organized, and carefree?  Think about the lifestyle you have now, or even the one that you’d like to have, and create your home makeover to compliment that.

What do you want more of?  For me it’s more creative time.  If I don’t make an uncluttered space for that to happen, I won’t plan creativity into my day.

What do you want less of?  Maybe you want to spend less time cleaning or staying on top of the clutter.  Less accessories and better storage solutions would be the answer.

Secret #3:  Just do it!

Too often we make excuses….
I don’t have the time.
We can’t afford it.
I can’t live through construction.
I don’t know where to start.

So many times these excuses are just us getting in our own way because we’re afraid to take that first step.  Start with something simple and begin the process with what you already have.  Get rid of the outdated floral arrangements, move lamps and pillows to another room, or re-purpose a table for another use. 

One client realized she was spending less and less time in her home office, and instead working later and later at meetings and other busy work.  Her Ah-Ha moment came the day she admitted to herself that she really hated the way her office made her feel.  She was finally ready to make a change.  And guess what?  A new paint color was enough to soothe her feelings of uneasiness, and she’s now using her office again!

Make a habit out of getting rid of the excess and simplifying your life.  De-cluttering is liberating!