home resolutions for 2017

The dawn of a new year is a great time to reflect and dream about the days ahead. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by the lists of "shoulds", let's be practical as we think about how to be better stewards of our homes this year. 

There are ways to maintain order and organization on a daily and weekly basis but the beginning of a new calendar year is a great time to plan for the next four seasons. We're suggesting tasks, projects and specific areas of focus for each season. Show your home some love throughout the course of an entire year, one season at a time. 

So, we did some research and added our own touch to create a free printable for you. We've taken into consideration the weather and other factors that effect the ease and importance of certain tasks. Download, print, and share the Home Resolutions for 2017 right here on our blog! 

Our team is ready to help you with those areas that need organization, every season of the year. Give us a call to schedule your free consultation today 865.345.9080. 

New Years Resolutions vs. Life Changes

Drawing by RabbitWifePen&Ink

Do you make resolutions each year? If you are like me, I usually make a few but rarely keep them. What's interesting is that I often find myself making the same resolutions that I tried to keep the year before. Change takes time, especially big changes. Here are a few tips on how to make changes for life rather than new years resolutions.

1. Involve your people. Whether your tell your friends, family, or co workers, make sure that your community knows what you are working on. Feeling a sense of accountability often helps keep you on track.

2. Be realistic. Think about what your current "normal" is and take that into account. Don't set your self up to fail. For example: I have a goal of walking 10,000 steps daily but in general my daily average is more like 4,000. My life goal will be to be active for 1 hour (aka 10,000 steps) 3 times a week. Once I get to a place where that is my normal, then I can adjust to make it more of a challenge and say maybe 5 days a week until I work up to 10,000 steps daily. Focus on small steps to create a change of lifestyle over time that's sustainable.

3. Figure out your motives. If I have a goal of losing weight or of eating differently, it's important that I understand why I have that goal. Do I believe that I will be more loved or admired if I attain this? Am I doing this because I feel pressured by someone else or by a physical problem? Am I searching for happiness or fulfillment? I've found that my motives usually make or break a change.

4. Come up with reminders for the life changes that are hard to remember on a daily basis. One of mine is to drink at least 64oz of water every day. I am doing a few things as reminders or as motivation. I bought a water bottle that has measurements on the outside, I track my intake through an app on my phone, and I must always accept when someone offers me water. These little things help me stay on track.

Purchase here

5. Schedule a monthly check in with yourself. Make a list of your daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly commitments and re evaluate whether or not you are able to fully commit in a way that is meaningful. If not, start eliminating. When your schedule is maxed out you are less likely to be able to add new changes into your routine.

image by allaboutami

6. Make a plan for how you will accomplish your life goals. For example, if I want to begin the habit of storing my clothes in my closet or dresser rather than all over my bedroom floor/furniture, then I first have to purge my closet and storage space until all of my clothing fits into the designated area in a manageable and comfortable way. Once I have a spot for my clothes I'm much more likely to hang them back up or fold them to store in my dresser. Often times our bad habits make sense. If my closet is jam packed and has no room or order, then I'm likely to leave my clothes on a chair where I can easily find them BUT if my closet it organized, I'm much more likely to make use of it.

Did you make resolutions this year? How are they going? Any tips or ideas you would like to share?

5 Tips For Falling in Love with Your Home Again in 2015

Picture by Artifact Uprising

 1.  Make a list of spaces in your home that need order.  Pay attention to how the space is currently used and what you'd like it to be used for.  Having vision and purpose for the space is key to getting motivated to start & finish. Try thinking about the things you wish you had space for in your home. When you start thinking outside of the box you may realize that you can re-purpose a closet into a crafting nook or a home office.

Picture by Katie Norrell

2.  Don't go it alone.  Call a friend, a family member or Help You Dwell to be a second set of eyes allowing you to envision creative ways to organize and re-purpose your space that you might not ordinarily think about.  Organizing with others helps you not get bogged down in the details and helps to make the decisions on whether to keep or share items with others.

3.  Make attainable goals, staying focused on one project at a time.  Set aside small, specific increments of time to accomplish your goals.  Setting aside an hour of focused, intentional time can be much more productive and less overwhelming than a whole day or weekend of work.

Picture by HayleyAnn.Styling

4.  Get supplies ready; trash bag, donation bag/box, "put away" bin (laundry baskets work great for this) and any storage containers you may need.  We recommend organizing before buying bins so you know how many containers you will need. If you prefer to buy storage bins before hand, make sure to keep receipts so you can return items you don't need.

5.  Get started. Half of the battle is taking the first step. Turn on some music, grab a bottle of water and stay the course so you can enjoy your space the way you've always wanted.