I want to talk a bit about loving our space, even when we are frustrated by it. So grab a cup of something cozy and settle in, I have a lot of links and thoughts to share with you!
WHEN YOU FEEL DISSATISFIED, INSTEAD OF INSPIRED
If you are like me, sometimes all the HGTV shows and beautiful decor instagrams/pins create dissatisfaction for what I feel like is LACKING from my space. I would love it to be a place where I gather ideas and apply them to my home, but sometimes it feels like I’m on the other side of the river from that.
🌱 I want to feel abundance about my home, more than scarcity
OUR SPACE MATTERS
One thing I really wrestle with is the fact that a well-designed space makes living easier. In a well designed space there are less daily stresses/tolerations, there is space for the things we need on hand, things can flow, people have space for themselves. 👉🏼 We can’t deny the fact that we ARE impacted by the environment we are in.
OUR SYSTEMS MATTER
Yes, we can change our environmental to change our experience, but it doesn’t end there, because we can create systems that work within our environment to make a space work better for us.
⛺️ Kind of like when we are camping in a small trailer with five people and we need to move beds, and adjust the layouts, and plan our meals, and manage the laundry situation, and all the work that actually goes into making camping life work for the family.
OUR THOUGHTS ABOUT OUR SPACE MATTER
When I find myself feeling dissatisfaction with my home, I need to remember all the work we have put in to adjusting the environment, creating systems that work, AND, the third factor – adjusting how I choose to THINK about my home
I shared this episode (How to love your home, when you wish it were different) on how I’ve grown to love my home, after spending many years looking for a better option on MLS and proposing drastic renovations to my husband.
WHEN YOU ARE FEELING DISSATISFIED WITH YOUR SPACE
I was recently planning some changes I want to make to our bedroom (last summer we made the state of our room worse when we removed the carpet that had water damage, since then we’ve been waiting for a longer term plan for the space to do any further renos) and I’ve been getting emotionally wrapped up in what I want to change, that I stopped seeing what is in my control today, managing the system of how I use my space right now.
This is the long way around to the reminder I think many of us need 👉🏼 when you are dissatisfied with your space – clean it, declutter it, care for it.
I did that the other day with my bedroom.
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And after I felt more empowered in my space 💃🏽, more in control of it 🎯, more appreciative of it 🤩.
DO SOMETHING TO MAKE YOUR SPACE BETTER
I know it is not realistic for everyone to have their dream home, and it helps me to remember that it isn’t all or nothing. We don’t either get the dream home or nothing, we can get something in between. We can get spaces we love and work hard to make them work, and some spaces that won’t quite fit just right.
We may not have our dream home, but that doesn’t mean we have to wait to have all the money, or all the time, or all the ideas, or all the kids out of the house – to make our space more of what we want it to be.
Some things that have helped me grow to love my space, even when I wished it were different
Declutter my space!!
(really, whenever I feel a scarcity mindset about my stuff or space, decluttering seems to fix that. You may have noticed this as I share my ‘recently decluttered’ photos and insights in these emails through the years)
8 lessons I learned when I decluttered my home for a year
Do something about those little stressors in my space
(These little stressors are called tolerations, once you start to identify them, you can decide how you want to address them)
- Bust your tolerations
- (including worksheets)
Create a vision for your space
(know what direction you want to take a space, so you can be intentional about decluttering and creating a space you will love and use)
- Use the Life on Purpose workbook, or these free Live Your Vision worksheets to help you with this.
Pay attention to how I am organizing things
(cause what works on Pinterest may not work in my actual life)
Keep up on the maintenance of a space
(decluttering, cleaning, re-organizing is a ROUTINE we need to develop, rather than a one and done situation)
- Some of my thoughts on the waves of decluttering, and if you are interested in a deep dive into creating homemaking routines, check out the Homemaker on Purpose book
Start getting rid of things I don’t really love
(they can distract you from what you do love to have)
And on that note, be a good steward of what I bring INTO my home
(I aim to only buy things I really love)
Own how I show up in my home
(our ‘clean’ home only brings us peace, if we let it)
Reflect back on the hard work you have put into your home
(I love before and afters for this reason. And if you feel like you can’t reflect on this, then declutter a drawer and then admire your hard work there)
Friends, it is always a pleasure to spend time with you. I hope you are feeling more empowered to do one simple thing in your space today, even if it is clearing off one countertop, it all matters!
👩🏻💻 Recently Decluttered is a feature periodically shared in the Simple Saturdays email. You can find the Recently Decluttered Archives here