My home will be easier to manage WHEN
Do you ever hear yourself saying or thinking something like this…
“my mess will get better when [I live in a bigger house with more storage space]”
“my home will be tidier after [the kids move out]”
“I will be more organized as soon as [I get a new job and have more time at home]”
“life will be simpler once we are retired”
And so on.
What you’re saying implies that there is NOT calm and peace in your home now. You’re having a hard time right now in the present. It’s easy to blame a partner, the kids, the animals, the extracurricular activities, the workload, the chronic illness, whatever life that gets in the way of your ideal home.
Take shame and judgment out of the equation. Life is happening, constantly. Clutter is hellbent to enter your home, and waiting for the perfect moment for be inspired to finally get your home in order is…well, there is no perfect moment.
So, own the mess. Own the chaos, and take accountability. Know that you can control your own environment. You can make decisions to better your situation, even as simple as taking down a piece of art that hurts you, removing a piece of furniture you think is an eye sore, or clearing the clutter from your nightstand.
What can you do, right now in this moment, to make your home 1% better? Can you spend 5 minutes to nudge the needle in the preferred direction (in spite of the messy roommate, regardless of how many kids are running about, etc)?
Do something differently. Instead of kicking off your shoes at the door and hanging your jacket on the banister of the stairs, take an extra 10 seconds to put your shoes on the rack and hang your coat.
Take action right now. So many times when I’m doing an in-home consultation, people will say something to the effect of, “Like this whole pile right here could go,” or “I definitely would get rid of this”—great, do that! Do it right now! Out to the curb, out to the car for donation drop off.
Little baby steps matter. I offer free accountability with my clients and love seeing their momentum in texts or emails as they carve out tiny windows of productivity to conquer the clutter.
I had a therapist once challenge the “It will be better when…” by saying, “But, you’ve been saying this for [months/years]. And some of the ‘things’ previously mentioned have happened that were supposed to help. So, can you say it has gotten better? The proof is in the PRESENT!” The truth is, if you reflect back and are brutally honest with yourself, it wasn’t easier after that difficult semester ended, after you moved into a new space, after you recovered from surgery, etc.
And it’s OK. We can be hurt, we can feel whatever we need to feel—that’s valid and fair. Also we can be accountable in this very moment and do something to make it even the tiniest bit better. Forget about black and white thinking, perfectionism, comparison, shame.
Change the narrative. You are not a mess. You are not a failure. Build trust within yourself by aligning words and actions. Take a deep breath, survey your space, and make one change. As Taylor says, “Do something babe, say something.”
And if you want that huge transformation, lasting change, and personalized approaches to home organization, book a free call with me: https://calendly.com/consciouslyclearedandcontainedllc/freecall