It’ll be back to school time before we know it which also means getting the house in order for more routine! But rather than creating a list of all the recommended chores, how about simplifying your home with YOUR personality in mind?
Simplify your life by organizing your time AND your stuff- it’s easier said than done. What does make it easier is determining what works for you and what works against you. Our personalities dictate how we organize (or don’t organize) our homes. The best way to stay organized or make changes in our life is to work with our personality, rather than against it. I’ve found this relates to all tasks, even growing a business. More on that later….
What category do you fall into?
THE MEMORY KEEPER
Feeling the need to keep everything can be a means of showing love through feeling a sense of preparedness. Just in case! But do you need 87 tomato packets from Wendy’s? Feeling the need to keep everything can also be a means of saving memories. Each item holds a dear memory and throwing it out might mean the memory goes away. Of course we know this isn’t logical but keeping these tangible reminders of memories is comforting to some people.
No matter what- stuff is stuff though. And stuff can be replaced and stuff is not eternal. When in doubt, throw it out. Or as my hubby and I say “throw it out anyway”. As for the stuff that you hold dear, find a system that’s easy for the incoming ‘memory makers’. I keep banker boxes in a closet. I have them stacked so I cut a slit in the one labeled “KIDS ARTWORK- MEMENTOS”. After I label the kid’s name and the date I slip the artwork right in. I’ve found if I don’t have something quick and easy, stuff just piles up. Taking a photo of artwork is a tip I’m sure you’ve read before. As far as the mementos like knick-knacks that have been given to you- never feel like you need to keep something if it’s not something that you love. If it’s something that has been passed down to you (even if you don’t love it) I suggest either displaying it, or keeping it in a labeled plastic tub.
THE PROCRASTINATOR
“I’ll do it tomorrow”. Ahh….yes, this would be me. Putting those dreaded tasks off only cause bigger problems down the road. Think of it like not paying a bill on time and each day interest is tacked onto the total. Not good. When things pile up it’s just a mess and as the mess grows it’s like the snowball analogy. The problem gets so big it feels unmanageable. Do you ever have those date nights where you try on every outfit in your closet and the pile just grows and grows. Rather than look at the pile as some huge mountain, view it as one piece at a time.
Just start somewhere.
Doing a little here and there around the house adds up to a big relieved feeling of completion. Do you dream of starting a small business or learn calligraphy or write a book? Making time to do just one thing to head in that direction is better than doing nothing at all. And often it’s that very momentum that gets us fired up to do even more than one thing!
THE PERFECTIONIST
When I do something I have a tendency to be a perfectionist about it. Being a bit of a perfectionist, makes me a procrastinator too. I have a hard time starting a project if I don’t think I’ll do a good job at it. For instance, we have a closet in the garage that is literally packed to the ceiling with stuff. Rather than tackling this job one piece of junk at a time, I just close the door and choose not to even start it. Here’s the truth though-
(check out this home tour here)
Life Doesn’t Have To Be Perfect To Be Beautiful
Again, just start somewhere. Any maybe the baskets won’t all match and be artfully labeled but that’s okay. Doing nothing isn’t very beautiful either! Rather than living with an all-or-nothing mindset, tackle the job with lower expectations. It’s not being negative, you’ll have positive results when you don’t expect perfection.
I’ve found knowing this about myself has helped me in other areas as well. When I first started to ‘doodle’ as I would call it, my lettering wasn’t great. I kept at it though. I started to hand paint these designs on dinnerware. I’m not the best artist but I kept at it. Thousands of plates later, I think I got pretty good at it. I moved onto pen and paper and again, it was slow going at first. But rather than quit because it wasn’t perfect right out of the gate, I kept at it. I still feel like I have a ways to go but rather than getting hung up on that, I’m trying to embrace the progress I have made.
Embrace your trait right where you’re at and use it to work WITH who you are, not against who you are.
XO!