Making Room for the Things that Give You Life
The most daunting aspect of any project is just finding a place to start. Going into the new year with the goal of becoming more organized is a wonderful and life-changing resolution, but without structure and intention, it can be put off or forgotten completely. Before jumping into any organizing project, the first and foremost step is reflecting and setting your intentions.
Setting your intentions has little to do with aesthetics and style. Rather, it’s about what you want your home to feel like, and how you want to feel in your home on a daily basis. The process of setting intentions will help you create a home that mirrors your family's lifestyle, needs, and dreams. As you set your intentions for your home, a few questions I want you to consider are:
What in your home makes you feel happy?
What’s most important to you in a home environment?
What kind of environment would make you feel equipped for the work you need to do each day?
What kind of home would support quality time, both with yourself and with the people you love?
Asking yourself questions like these will help to uncover what you truly want for your home, and will set you up for success beyond organization as they also work to maximize your internal peace and happiness. Essentially, you’re setting the tone for your organizing journey by establishing a North Star of sorts that you can refer back to for each project. For a full breakdown of in-depth questions regarding soul work, the LIJ Book Club workbook is the perfect resource. Download it here!
Getting organized is more than getting rid of things and making your home look picture perfect. Rather, it’s a holistic journey of reflection and intention. So take this time now to reflect on intangibles in your life:
Relationships
Memories
Experiences
Sense of purpose
Legacy
How you make people feel
Intentionally surround yourself with the things in your life that support you, how you want to feel, and ultimately the life that you want to lead.
The belongings in your home, regardless of how big or small, take up space and have an effect on their surroundings. Each object contributes to the energy of your home and your day-to-day life. Our energy is a precious resource, and the things that you hold onto in your life each have an impact on how you operate. If your things are taking energy rather than igniting your soul, you may want to reconsider where the energy could be better allotted. It’s one of my greatest beliefs that the stuff you surround yourself with should be life-giving rather than life-taking. You should keep things that you love, use, and need, rather than things that steal your time, money, sanity, energy, or freedom. The items that you keep in your home should be held onto because a) they serve a purpose or function in your regular routine, or b) they make you feel good each time you encounter them. Deciding what you need and use to maintain the lifestyle you want, and distinguishing these things from what is otherwise clutter, will help you build a home life that nurtures you and your family. And now is the perfect time for you to do so. You have the power to decide what you want your life to look like.
Want more details on starting the organization process? Be sure to check out our recent blog outlining essential questions to ask yourself here. To learn more about creating good habits for a new season, see our blogs here and here. If you need help identifying your life-givers and life-takers, be sure to grab a copy of Life in Jeneral and sign up for the LIJ Book Club. You’ll gain access to a free workbook, which features exercises dedicated to setting intentions, identifying life-givers vs. life-takers, and of course, getting organized from the inside out. If you’re not already, follow along with the book club on our Instagram, too! There will be lots of great information, support, giveaways, and more.
This process will not be easy, but it will be incredibly worthwhile. Remember: you already have everything you need within yourself to accomplish your goals and live your dream!