Happy New Year!
Congratulations on making it through another holiday season! Hopefully you found moments of peace, joy, and a little magic! For me, the new year always invites personal reflection. Specifically, I take time to consider what ‘clutters’ my schedule. I think we can fall into activities out of habit, expectations, or feelings of obligation – and after a while we forget that we have options. We can deliberately prioritize our time on things that bring meaning to our lives.
One of the things cluttering my life is social media. I find myself watching videos of dogs while my own pups wonder why I won’t throw a ball for them. With social media, I spend time doing something that is ok, but not how I want to spend my spare time. When I am more intentional with my free time, I make sure it aligns with my values. I want to look back on happy memories with my dogs (or family of course) – not remembering sitting in front a screen while my dogs (or family) pine for attention.
This isn’t to say that we need to stop doing anything that is not bringing joy and meaning to our lives. Unfortunately, there will always be dishes that need cleaning, etc., but it does challenge us to be proactive in our decision making – versus reactive (like when I realize the video of a Chihuahua intimidating a Great Dane led me to 20 minutes of screen time!) Let’s choose the lifestyle we want instead of finding ourselves doing things that are not reflective of what is important to us.
This is also a decent time to assess how the expectations that we have for ourselves align with what is meaningful to us. I often say to clients, “You won’t sit on your death bed saying you were so glad that you kept a perfect house, but you will be grateful for the time spent doing meaningful things with those you love.” This isn’t to say that organization isn’t important, but the level of organization that you need to be content stems from personal preferences – not on what others might think is right or correct. Your space doesn’t need to be ready for the cover of Wonderfully Organized Homes Magazine – you just need it to be your happy place. Only you know the criteria for having a space that works for you – and that might include a few spaces that are not perfectly organized.
My aunt used to say, “My house is clean enough to be safe and messy enough to be happy.” Be it your home, your schedule, or your mind, let’s all plan to have a year focused on doing the things that matter to us! Happy 2024!
