Wish your home was a little more “sanctuary” and a little less “shambles”?
Read on for the pro’s tips on living with kids, clutter and chaos!
When you first moved in to your home, what did you envisage life to be like there? Filling your home with love and happy memories, your dining table laden with food for your dinner parties, and spending your time enjoying your family? I’m quite sure you didn’t envisage filling your home with stress and clutter, your dining table laden with piles of paper and laundry, and spending your time searching for that bill / school notice / party invitation that you’re SURE you put here somewhere!
We all have “stuff”, and if you have kids you probably have truck loads of it! I know I certainly do thanks to my little boy. And you know what? It’s OK to have stuff! Your house is never going to look like those beautifully staged home magazines, because real people don’t actually live there. Your home needs to be comfortable and practical, and filled with life, energy, and… well, “stuff”.
However… (I’m not letting you off the hook that easily!) your stuff becomes a problem (aka clutter) when it has no useful value to you and is not contributing anything to your life. Clutter and chaos often come with normal family life, but there are a few simple techniques you can use to keep this at a manageable level, to ensure you still love your home and get back to those dreamy visions of happiness and dinner parties.
Firstly, it’s important to realise that ‘being organised’ means very different things to different people. Your organising style is as individual as your personality, and it will change during different phases of your life. It’s not about pretty boxes and Ikea furniture; it is about creating habits and systems in your life and environment to help you live your best life, and it requires constant up-keep and fine-tuning – very much like keeping fit.
If you are feeling bogged down by clutter or chaos, you first need to address the problem (by decluttering and clearing the decks), and then you can set up the habits and systems you need to stay organised going forwards. And in order to address the problem, you need to understand the problem. Is it really a case of insufficient storage / kids have too many toys / hubby never puts his stuff away? Or is it more about not recognising or respecting boundaries / not being able to say no / miscommunication?
In my next instalment I’ll be discussing some great tips on how to understand and address the problem, to set you on the path to successful spring-cleaning and decluttering. Until next time…
Beverley
Originally posted 2014-09-03 22:26:14.
I really need help in this area! Can’t wait to read more…