HYD Blog
thoughts on dwelling
While sometimes an area in our home needs a good ol’ fashion overhaul, that doesn’t have to be the answer every time. Often what can help us more is small changes based on what we are already in the habit of doing. As they say, we are creatures of habit—so make them work for you instead of working against them.
Image by Laurey W. Glenn
There are so many blogs and columns out there that it can be overwhelming and hard to find the good stuff. We’ve gathered a few of our latest favorites to share with you below. What blogs do you read regularly? We’d love to know your go-to’s!
Christmas is less than two weeks away and we have a great list of gift ideas that won't clutter up the homes of the ones you love. We have compiled ideas for all age groups, budgets, and interests. We've even managed to think of ways to support local businesses without having to purchase tangible items. Whether you're shopping for "the person that already has everything", someone who is working toward a minimal lifestyle, or for someone that you wish would get rid of some clutter, we've got you covered.
Experiences:
Give the gift of classes or offer to teach someone a skill that you have:
Events:
The Mill & Mine: Image Source
Gift ideas for Kids:
The Basement community art studio. Image Source
Miscellaneous:
CSA share. Image source
Think outside of the box this year and give those you love something that they will remember forever!
Have you ever come home from a stressful day of work and needed to escape? Maybe you already stay home and need a space to feel at ease. We've got six changes you can make within your home to help you de-stress.
Decorating with plants not only adds life and freshness into your home, but by bringing nature inside, you will instantly feel a since of calmness. For Air-Filtering plants, be sure to check out this post!
By opening up your curtains, you are letting more Vitamin D into your home. Vitamin D aids in a stronger immune system and is proven to make you happier. Cozy, warm rooms can be calming, but when you need a 'pick-me up', be sure to let some light flood in.
Colors such as blue, violet, pink, and green are known to help calm your mind. Whether you choose to paint your walls a calming color, or simply add in art or accessories, these colors are sure to sooth your mind and create a since of calmness within your home.
From answering e-mails after hours to checking off a to-do list, your mind is constantly running. To create an area of peace, pick at least one place inside your home that you set aside for only non work related activities. Your brain needs a space where work isn't done so it knows to shut down and relax.
Easier said than done! Luckily, you have HYD to help you with this task. Getting rid of physical clutter also rids your mind of clutter. Taking time to put things away and clearing your space will help put your mind at ease and make your home feel more put together.
Scrolling through social media may ease your mind for a short time, but it is also known for making you feel more anxious and depressed. Give your eyes a rest by mediating, tending to your home and/or garden, going for a walk, or taking a bath. The list is endless if you'll only put your phone away, shut the TV off, and explore what's beyond your doorway.
Finishing up an organizing job in someone's home or office is a thing of beauty. It's satisfying to know we've helped a client find a bit of freedom from their clutter or good homes for unneeded items. We also leave hoping our clients can maintain the new found order.
The thing is, life happens again. There is so much to manage in our daily lives and often people come first, work outside the home next, activities around town after that, and our homes only get us when we're wiped from all the life we've been busy living.
HYD wants to help keep your home a peaceful, ordered space you can rest, entertain, create, or simply be in... any time. We are now offering a monthly organizing service. Let us help you in areas like these and then some...
Kitchen Cabinets and Pantries
Mudrooms and Laundry Rooms
Linen, Coat, and Guest Room Closets
Bedroom and Kids' Closets
Basements and Attics
Garages
Potting Sheds and Barns
Kids' Bedrooms and Playrooms
Home Offices and Family
Art, Sewing, or Craft Rooms
Rearranging a Room or General Decor Changes
The fee is $85/mo with a one-year commitment or $975/yr if paid in advance. The fee includes up to two hours of organizing each month, one free donation drop off each month, 10% off any additional hours, and unlimited e-mail access to HYD for personalized consultation.
We look forward to serving our clients in this new capacity. If you're interested or have further questions, please don't hesitate to call 865.245.9080 or email us at info@helpyoudwell.com.
Image via Terrain
For a few days there it felt like Summer and then I had to pull the ice scraper back out for my windshield in the mornings. Thankfully, I think we've had our last frost now and we couldn't be more ready for some sunshine and warm weather. I find myself more motivated when Spring comes to put a little extra effort into things. We've found a few links from around the web to inspire you for the season.
2. Spring Cleaning Decluttering Inspiration
3. The prettiest cleaning tools you've ever seen
4. Prepping your garden for spring
5. Dogwood Arts event calendar: If you are looking for things to do around Knoxville. Dogwood Arts hosts a wide variety of events celebrating spring and gardens all over Knoxville.
People often take action on spaces or rooms that guests or family see and utilize but what about the spaces that most people don't see; the ones that internally weigh you down? Most of us have a stash hidden in our closets, attics, or basements. Why not leave it there?
Image from Sundaytimes.co.uk
The problem with accumulating things and then hiding them away is that one day they have to be dealt with by you or by the family you leave behind. Often times we carry around subconcious guilt or anxiety about those spaces. We form attachments to our stuff or maybe attachments to the idea of having access to stuff. There is a process that one must go through to mentally prepare to let go of things. Part of the decluttering process begins with a good look at how you think about your things. For many of us, holding on to things is a way to feel safe about a future need that may or may not ever occur. We encourage you to think about what it would be like to only keep items that truly give you joy? Sometimes it's simply a matter of stopping to think about the purpose you originally had behind a purchase. You may find that it's served it's purpose and can be passed along. We've found that decluttering doesn't come naturally to many people. Organizing and decluttering your home can be really overwhelming, even scary at times. On top of those things, letting go is HARD! It usually takes an outsider to help you not get stuck in your head when trying to make decisions on what to keep. It's only natural to begin thinking of all the reasons to not get rid of things when the real question (and way less time consuming question) is whether keeping it will bring you joy. Being ready to declutter doesn't happen over night, it's a personal journey that doesn't work if you've reluctantly agreed after being coerced by a friend of family member. The decluttering and ultimately the organizing process only works when you truly want to be free of your stuff.
Image by Texture Photo
Our goal is never to convince anyone to do anything they don't want to do but rather for you to be so convinced that you need freedom from your things that you make the move to call us. We want you to be the hero of your clutter problem and we are here, ready to guide you along the way.
www.tidyingup.com
If you receive our weekly emails, you may remember us mentioning that we recently read "the life-changing magic of tidying up: the Japanese art of decluttering and organizing" by marie kondo. We highly recommend the book if you need to psych yourself up to get organized. Marie offers so many great tips that we couldn't possibly cover them all in one blog post but we wanted to give you the "Help You Dwell Quick Guide" to the book if you don't have time to read it yourself.
1. Many organizing books and experts suggest tidying or decluttering a little bit a day over the span of one's life. The fact of the matter is, a little at a time is usually not a dramatic enough change to motivate you to purge the way most of us need to. "A dramatic reorganization of the [entire] home causes correspondingly dramatic changes in lifestyle and perspective."
2. Always begin with thoroughly eliminating clutter. "If you can see the dramatic results, you will be empowered to keep your space in order ever after."
3. "Storage methods do not solve the problem of clutter." Hence the reason that tip #2 is so very important. You can have a house busting at the seams of very organized things but organization alone doesn't make your home a peaceful, welcoming place.
4. Think in concrete terms so that you can vividly picture what it would be like to live in a clutter-free space. Next, identify why you want to live life that. Why do you want to tidy? Finally, examine what you own.
5. When going through your items ask yourself, "does this item give me joy?" If it doesn't.... away it goes! Think of the process as deciding what to keep rather than deciding what to give/throw away. Imagine your home with only things that you love.
6. When you start the decluttering process, start with things that do not tend to hold sentimental value like clothing, books/media, papers etc.
7. If you are having a hard time making a decision about an item try to cut out the rational circular thinking ex: "I might need this later, or it's a waste to get rid of this". Try instead, to ask yourself why you have the item- when did you get it and what meaning did it have for you when you got it. "To truly cherish the things that are important to you, you must first discard those that have outlived their purpose."
8. "Letting go is even more important than adding." "When we really delve into the reasons for why we can't let something go, there are only two: an attachment to the past or a fear for the future." "The best way to find out what we really need is to get rid of what we don't."
9. There are three approaches we can take toward our possessions: face them now, face them sometime, or avoid them until the day we die.
10. "Tidying ought to be the act of restoring balance among people, their possessions, and the house they live in."
Source Unknown
“That’s what decluttering is: taking time to decide what’s important enough to remain in your life. It’s not about getting rid of everything, or emptying your life completely. It’s about figuring out what matters to you. And then getting rid of what doesn’t.”
For the month of March our blog entries will be centered around Spring Cleaning. Rather than overwhelming you with long detailed lists of things to do each week, we will give you two quick ideas to break up your work into manageable weekly to-do’s. We want to keep it simple and to the point while giving you helpful tips to stay motivated.
1. Take a trash bag to your bathroom and fill it with anything you don’t use or anything that has expired. For items that haven’t expired but you don’t use, think about donating to a homeless shelter (The Volunteer Ministry Center or KARM) or giving them to a friend. Let yourself off the hook and don’t guilt yourself into keeping a bottle of face wash that you hate just because you used it once and didn’t like the result. In the future, look for small bottles when trying out a new product or do some online research and read customer ratings before buying.
2. Go through your email and open up any email that you didn’t sign up for or always delete before reading and unsubscribe yourself. One less piece of junk mail clogging up your brain and your inbox. * https://unroll.me/ makes it easier to unsubscribe from multiple emails at a time
Time to let you in on a little secret...
My house has rooms that I'm not always proud of, usually multiple ones. This is one big reason why I want to walk alongside you amazing people to overcome those spaces that keep you from entertaining, creating or just enjoying your home or workspace.
Thankfully, I have an incredible business partner who serves me as wonderfully as she serves our clients. (She would also tell you her home has those rooms too :) Caroline generously offered to help me dwell a bit in one of my favorite spaces in my house.
It's that room I want to spend more time in. It's away from the busyness of our household of five plus a puppy, my favorite books are in there, all my crafting materials, stationery, journals, photos to edit, and the light is wonderful, hence the name, sunroom. It's my office & creativity room. My daughter plays violin in it as well.
Unfortunately, it too often looked like this...
Quickly, it had become the dump room, the "I don't know where this goes (or am too lazy to put it away now) so put it in the sunroom" room. The thing is, all these items have homes and many of them in the trash or donation box.
After just a couple of short hours, a few moves of furniture, and a rearranging of decorative items from all over the house, (Caroline is soooo good at this!) I got this room back...
I love being in here now. I'm so thankful for setting aside the time, having a dear & talented friend to help, and purging so many unneeded items.
The story doesn't end there though. So, what happens in a room that's ordered, organized & inspiring?? Well, your daughter comes in to practice violin, notices the sewing machine neatly stored under the table and asks, "Mama, can we sew?" To which I can finally say, "yes." Below is the finished product, Saige is very happy in her new nightgown, and Kate is even happier that she got to make it, with a little help from mama. Find the pattern here.
