5 Affirmations To Help You Get Order In The House
I believe in organization being a reflexion of one’s inner balance (note that we do not have kids) and that is why putting order in the house is so important to me.
I have mentioned before that I have been blogging for longer than I can remember. Yes, it is true.
I have written about so many different topics in blogs I created all over the place, that I have to admit a lot of my work has gone missing (I used to blog for Microsoft Belgium on Windows Live, for example. Bye-bye!).
However, there are still some articles here and there that I would love to share with you on this website.
The first one from this series was originally published on July 31, 2007, on my blog called Pink Revolution. The title of the post back then was “Order In The House”.
One of the reasons I like writing about organization is because it is not something natural to me. I learn as I go (or simply freak out because the mess I create all over the place).
This blog is one of my first about the topic. I have had many ups and downs since then, but I am not giving up.
I hope you will enjoy it!
Sitting around doing nothing is not for me. I get bored very quickly.
I need to fill my time and have the feeling I am producing something. Otherwise, it’s like I’m wasting precious lifetime.
When you are at work, you work. Outside the office, at least in my way of seeing things, time is yours.
Lately, I have been using “my” time to organize the chaos I have built around me. Mainly, the one that lies on the desk, in the cupboard, in the closet and everywhere around the apartment, except where it should be.
Now it is the moment of cleaning the place, in all senses.
It’s fun to see things this way, but believe me, for someone naturally chaotic like me, the mere fact of placing all documents together and always in the same place can be a major exercise of discipline.
That’s why I came up with a method that is working so far (for almost three months) and that I’m proud of.
Read also these posts about home organization:
- How To Organize Your Living And Enjoy a Clutter-Free Life
- Get Organized and Rule Your Household with Evernote
- 3 Easy Frugal Organization Ideas For All Budgets
These are my 5 affirmations to help you get order in the house:
- Start with what causes you more problems
- You can say good-bye to things
- It has no use if it’s broken
- If you already have it, you don’t need new ones
- Keep up with the good work
1. Start with what causes you more problems
Every evening, when I had to pick the clothes to go to work on the next day, it was a nightmare.
Since I’m not a morning person, I prefer to stay longer in bed without the risk of picking socks from different colors to go to work.
However, I could never find what I wanted to wear. When I did, the outfit was begging for some ironing.
It disturbed me very much because it happened religiously every single evening (including when it was going out) and made me waste a lot of time.
Taking a deep breath and organizing everything was not the most difficult, but maintaining it was another story.
I arrived at home, and the temptation of just throwing things was irresistible.
When it happened, I tried to focus on how harder things would get when I had to wear the same outfit again.
Who likes ironing for god sake?!?
It worked wonders!
At the first sight of chaos coming, it’s better to get things done than to let them get worse.
If chaos still happens, don’t let your mood go down or give it up. After a while, you will see that you gained hours with the minutes invested on daily basis.
Pick the mess that annoys you the most and #organize it. #BetterYou #HolisticHealth Click To Tweet
2. You can say good-bye to things
Remember the sticker of the first Valentine’s Day gift you got from your beloved one that still lies on the shelf? What about the rest of the wrapping paper you bought for last Christmas? Or even all your books from college that you keep “just in case”?
Let’s face it: you will remember about the sticker for long, the wrapping paper will be old-fashioned by next season, and you’ll never touch all those books again.
So it is time to practice a little bit of detachment and get rid of things that are just there, taking place. Think that the more you accumulate, the less space you have for the new/modern/stylish stuff. Besides, you’ll have a lot of extra work when doing the cleaning or when you need to move.
The key is to keep it simple!
If you aren’t needing in the next month (or less), chances are you will forget about it anyway.
If you’re like me, you have things laying around, and you could make use of some extra empty space in your cupboard, closet, drawer or desk, for example.
3. It has no use if it’s broken
If you are as attached to your belongings as I am, you probably keep a lot of stuff just waiting for the day when you’ll have whether:
- time to put it back together
- money to have someone fixing it
The idea of recycling is very noble, but then certain questions arise:
- will it honestly happen?
- is it even worth it to start with?
It is amazing how electric appliances evolve and how the idea of fashion can totally change in one year.
Unless you have extremely comfortable leather boots that deserve to be refurbished, don’t keep them just for the numbers. And if they are that comfortable, don’t wait any longer to have them fixed. You will never know when you need them again. Leaving them ready to use might prevent you from throwing away money with new ones that might not fit that well.
Even if everything around your place has a story, keep in mind that you are not a museum. Let it go!
Make room for the new by letting go of the old. #mindfulness #organize #HolisticHealth Click To Tweet
4. If you already have it, you don’t need new ones
It is common when people move away, either to live by themselves or with someone else, that they buy (almost of) everything they need.
How many things you’ll get varies according to the budget, but there’s generally a minimum. In other words, basics such as boards, glasses, towels, etc. are already there, somewhere, under the bed or in the pile of ironing.
Unless you can get rid of the old stuff you have (see point 2), don’t go getting yourself more plates just because they were on sale.
You’ll surely be replacing towels and bed covers after a while, but you don’t need to buy new ones if you still have some in their original package.
Remember: one in, one out. #Save money, time, and space. #organization #BetterYou Click To Tweet
5. Keep up with the good work
Once you get things done (whether it is one room or the whole place) you’ll see the wonders it’ll work on you.
It’s true that you must have in mind that it is just the beginning. Keeping things the way they are after you organized them is the real challenge.
Don’t let it go to crazy again before you organize it all over again. The idea is making life easier for you and not an endless sort of Penelope’s work.
It takes less time and effort to put away a thing or two than to clean up the entire place.
The longer you can maintain things in order, the more rewarding it will be.
Discipline is the keyword.
You must have discipline when you begin your work, and you must maintain the momentum afterwards.
Nothing will change if you don’t break your inertia and move on.
Speaking from my own experience: these little things have been working sweet miracles in my daily life.
Make #organization simple with these 5 steps. #BetterYou #HolisticHealth Click To TweetIf organization is also your nemesis, let’s start working!
How organized are you? Is it something that simply happens or do you have to make it a conscious effort like me? Do you have tips your own you would like to add?
For more Holistic Health tips read also:
- Why Today Is The Day To Become A Better You
- 3 Ways I’m Saving Extra Money And So Can You
- 5 Easy Steps To Plan New Habits For Success
Please check the list of link parties I join here.
Be Healthy and Live Fully.
