Discardia_ More Life, Less Stuff - Dinah Sanders [76]
Make a place for pleasures.
What qualities would you like your home to have?
Think back over the places you’ve lived. What was great about each of them? What didn't you like and want to avoid in the future? Steadily write these down until you're pretty sure that you have captured the most important stuff to you.
Now look it over.
What do you have in your current place?
What could you add here, or do you need to start thinking about a move to bring home more in line with your dreams? (Hot tip: When you’re moving, create an upgrade list. You may not be able to afford the ideal version of something, but the fresh, critical eyes of a move bring the not-quite-there-yet stuff into focus.)
What’s the most important thing to you of the changes you want to make?
What's the first step toward that? Write that down.
What's the easiest thing? Do it right now if you can or arrange to do it as soon as possible.
Keep your list where you'll keep coming back to it regularly. Note: The list can change, just like you and that's fine. Move toward what matters to you now.
The room of rest
Go into your bedroom and see what pleases you and what doesn't. Are there things in there that don't belong? If so, figure out where they can move instead. If they can go nowhere else (hello, studio apartment dwellers!), could they be contained or disguised in a way to make them bother you less?
Are there things missing (for example, enough dresser space, an attractive laundry basket, or a rug by the bed to shield your morning toes from a cold floor)? Make a list and, if you have something on it that matters more to you in the bedroom then where it currently is, move it in right now. Would a different layout make you more comfortable and work better?
For those with larger places to live, consider whether you’re using the right room for your bedroom. Thinking about the morning light can be helpful here. If another room might be better, play with the idea on paper and make some measurements before you start moving furniture. (Trust me on this one.)
Look at what you've set up for yourself as the last thing you see before you go to sleep and the first thing you see when you wake up:
Has your bedside table become a cluttered mess?
Are your surroundings generally unattractive?
Are there nagging unfinished projects in view from your pillow?
Cut the clutter and tune your bedroom to reduce stress. If your bedside light is too bright or too dim or you are lacking one altogether and relying on an overhead light that doesn't soothe your senses, give yourself well-diffused lighting that's easy to turn off when you're ready to drift to sleep.
If you have all your potential and in-progress reading piled right beside the bed, tidy it up into a better holding location—perhaps in a very small bookcase—and keep only the active titles at arms' length. If you’ve got a jumble of remotes, could they go in a little basket or in a nightstand drawer instead? Better yet, have the TV leave the bedroom entirely and make this space more restful.
Think about what you really need to have right beside your bed and contain it appropriately in something pleasing to your senses. Give your room a feeling of rightness and comfort that will soothe you to sleep and refresh you when you wake. When you're dusting, sweeping, and vacuuming, start with your bedroom so it stays the cleanest place in the house. Allergies most definitely aren't relaxing.
At the least, find one thing you can do today to make you happier in your bedroom from now on. Sleeping better, waking, and starting your morning more calmly, and retiring to bed at the end of the evening to find a pleasant space that soothes your senses, all have a ripple effect that will positively influence your days.
Bring your living room to