With Valentine’s Day approaching, I was reminded that love comes in all shapes and sizes. It means so many different things to everyone. This February, I challenge everyone to think about themselves. By that, I mean love yourself. Like putting on the air mask before putting it on someone else. To love outward you have to love inward first. Self love looks like many things and for me it’s the luxury of being at peace with yourself, calmness and to enjoy your life and home. I’m sure it won’t come as a surprise, but a great starting place for this challenge is the home. I’ve raised 4 children, now adults, so I know that calmness is a luxury and absolutelyI understand how chaotic the day can get. I remember it well. I doubt the memory ever really goes away. I can’t solve that but I can give you tools to tackle it and being organized is a very important tool in your kit.
You don’t have to totally change your behavior or your personality, but if you pick one area that you can get a handle on, I promise your day will be less stressful. Here are a few items that can help:
To make your morning routine run smoothly, there are a few things to take care of the evening before. Make the children responsible for organizing their own stuff - homework done and in the backpacks, clothes laid out the night before, lunch put together and easy to get in the mornings. Not every kid is a morning person or is easy to manage, but the less to do in the morning, the quicker everyone is out of the house. It is also a good lesson for them to learn early.
If it’s garbage pickup in the morning, make sure it all goes out the night before.
Try to straighten up the kitchen and living room before going to bed. Have the children or husband put their things away. It is a nice feeling to wake up to a clean room and start your day fresh.
Make your bed. Make your kids make their beds. It takes a minute and will make your room, your own private space, so much more inviting when you return later in the day. This is a habit to work on and it doesn’t have to be perfect.
If getting out the door on time is a problem or it’s continuously very chaotic, set your alarm for ½ hour earlier. Use that time to get yourself ready before everyone is up or just have a quiet cup of coffee alone. This time will calm you for the day ahead.
Clean out your closets. When you open your closet door and you can see what you have, it is so much quicker and easier to get ready. Same for everyone in your family. Have a donation bag ready so that when someone doesn’t fit into something anymore or doesn’t want to wear it, put it right in the bag. When the bag is full, you drop it off at the Salvation Army or your local donation center. Once your closets are cleaned out, they most likely will stay that way with just a few tweaks now and again. It won’t be a big job every time.
Being organized in your home gives you more time in your day, more calm in your head, and less stress in your life. And, all of that will give you more love for yourself and to share with others. If you need help getting organized and have less stress, contact Living Simple, LLC at www.livingsimple.info . Happy Valentine’s Day and enjoy the love!