When you think about your unorganized home, how does it make you feel? Stressed, anxious, and maybe embarrassed? Oftentimes you may not even realize that your “stuff” is affecting other aspects of your life—your work, relationships, and even your mental health. When the stress of your environment spills over into other areas of life, you’re not fully being present or showing up in the world the way you’re meant to. Surrounding yourself with disarray can be overwhelming in the physical sense, but there’s much more to it. “Stuff” takes up energy space, too—energy that could be used on things that really matter to you.
You get home from a busy day and you’re greeted by a mess. It’s overwhelming. You think to yourself, “there are too many things to do, not enough time, and I don’t even know where to begin.” So instead you distract yourself with something else, but your messy home is taking a mental toll on you, and the unfinished tasks are constantly in the back of your mind. Instead of catching up with your partner or enjoying family time, you’re disengaged and irritable. You may not be aware, but your mood and energy are affected by what you surround yourself with.
3 Tips for Small Steps to Big Change
The good news is, this IS something you can control and change. Even if the task seems too big and you’d rather run and hide, you can take baby steps to make small, but impactful changes in your home. Here are three tips to shift energy and create instant relief:
- Make Your Bed Every Morning
- You’re creating a routine for yourself the moment you wake up. This keeps the momentum going throughout the day.
- It takes discipline. Discipline and structure help create new habits and give you a sense of accomplishment.
- It looks good! When you walk into a clean bedroom you feel refreshed, not dragged down.
- Load Your Dishwasher Every Night and Unload Every Morning
- Creates structure and alleviates frustration. Washing at night and unloading in the morning means your dishes and dishwasher are always available to you. How annoying is it when you need a clean dish, but it’s in the dirty washer? Or when you need to put your dirty dish in the washer, but it’s filled with clean ones!
- Easy cleanup throughout the day. You won’t have dishes piling up in the sink because the dishwasher will be available. Now all those dirty dishes are where they belong and you’re not staring at the overflowing sink.
- Put Your Dirty Clothes in the Hamper
- Remember that everything has a home. Dirty clothes belong in the hamper, not on the floor, staircase, bed, or couch.
- Peace and calm when you walk into your home. You can walk freely through your home without a sense of dread and feeling like all you ever do is pick up.
Notice how you feel when you walk into your home after implementing these changes. Once the shift in energy has taken place you will feel accomplished, empowered, and proud of yourself. As you start reaping the benefits from these small, quick changes you’ll want to keep going. You may be inclined to tackle other aspects of disorganization that have been bothering you—cleaning out your inbox at work or decluttering that linen closet that hasn’t been touched since you moved in.
Clearing your space helps clear your mind, and the downstream impact of that is priceless. Take baby steps and see if you feel more focused, energized, motivated, and empowered. You’ve got this! If you’re interested in making some fundamental changes, creating new habits, and falling in love with your space, please contact me.
Chelsie Kirk is a home organizer with a passion for minimizing clutter and creating beautiful spaces that bring joy to your life. She can be reached at chelsie@cchomeorganization.com or by phone at 860-510.1431.