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The Impact of Happy Spaces in Your Home

11/07/2013 By Nancy Borg With no comments yet

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Inspired by the brilliant Fall colors around me, I set out today to cozy up my home with a little zest of Autumn. Fresh flowers, some red wine, and good nosh for guests were in my head and on my list.

I bought some yummy trail mix of nuts, speckled with fresh cranberries to fill the decorative bowls on my coffee table, and unabashedly, added a tub of caramel popcorn clusters to my cart.

Purchased the red wine and then meandered through a home goods store. And there amidst all the fragrant scents of cinnamon and evergreen,  I was struck with this particular candle.  It got me thinking that while our homes are very personal and private spaces, they outwardly reflect bits of who we are.  Indeed, it is where our hearts live.

We all seek some sanctuary within our own homes. We need it.  Life is often stressful and so it’s important to have a place to kick off our shoes, and relax.

Do you have happy spaces in your home?  What does “happy” look like to you?

For each of us, it may look different. It could range from neat to messy, as well as adorned with (from few to abundant) chotkes. Too often, when busy hubs clash with the lack of time it requires to maintain them, chaos shortly ensues. But wouldn’t it be great to have some household space that feels happy, albeit if it’s just in one room?

Take a look around.  Do you like what you see?  Do you feel good in your favorite space?  Are you more inclined to hang out in your den, kitchen, office, or  bedroom?  Where is the heart of your home?

Chances are, whether in your den, bedroom, kitchen, office, or any other room in your home, if you aren’t enjoying the space, you won’t be inclined to spend much time in it.  Especially if it’s a disheveled room, it’s understandable that the negative energy can discourage frequent visits.

The danger zones that may be in your way of  “happy”:

If the once cozy den is now full of miscellaneous clutter, and a random mess is crowding the couch,  how cozy can it really be?

If your bedroom closet is a disaster mess, it’s probably very stressful to get dressed amongst the disarray and find what you’re looking for in a hurry.  It’s not only costing you time, it could potentially lead to a fashion ensemble nightmare of epic proportions. Heading out for the day in mismatched socks can be a dead giveaway for whats’s going on in your closet.

Ditto to the kitchen.  If your kitchen space is not working for you, you probably won’t enjoy cooking in it, and I would venture to guess that there won’t be sensational entrees coming out of there any time soon.

The home-office is no different.  If the work space is not efficient, it will not be enticing to pay bills in there. If there is a glitch in the filing system, it will impede on your paper organization, for sure.  You could be in danger of piling, instead of filing.

The truth of the matter is that happy spaces, convincingly, invite comfort and emit positive energy.  You can reclaim your favorite spaces again when you clear the excess clutter away, pare down, and remove items that simply don’t belong in that room. It doesn’t have to be a monumental change. Sometimes it’s just about the little things.  Add a little touch of “you” so that it feels good to hang out in that space.

Finding the heart of your home will help you find your happy.  Love your spaces and possessions with pride of place.  There just might be some small things you can change to make your spaces feel great.

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Mess and Stress Can Weigh Heavy: Shed the Clutter, Shed the Pounds

07/18/2013 By Nancy Borg With 6 comments

scaleLike the chicken and the egg dilemma, it’s difficult to determine what came first; the mess or the stress. Are you so stressed and time-challenged that you create the mess? Or is it that your natural messy style causes you to be in a constant state of stress?

The triple threat is that all too often mess and stress can exacerbate bad eating behavior. Research has shown that there is a strong connection between stress and over-eating. Each of us handle stress in a different manner and in order to cope, some of us resort to emotional eating. Food is commonly viewed as a comfort for combatting loneliness, depression, and a whole hosts of other emotional pain syndromes.

Recently, I have been witness to a fascinating discovery with regard to organizing and diet. Clearing and cleaning one’s spaces can have a significantly positive impact on a person’s physical state. Just like dieting, organizing can give you back the control you might have surrendered.  Both processes emit great results and provide huge measures of accomplishment.  The brain wakes up, will power is revitalized and ignites productive behavior.  This kind of “heathy thinking” spills into healthy eating.

So start simple and try this.  Clean out just one drawer and begin to toss some junk mail or unread magazines lying around.  Take a good look around and see if you can clear some more clutter you never noticed before. Baby steps. Get to a point that you feel you accomplished something and you feel good about it.  Give yourself a pat on the back. Maybe you will get bit by the bug and that sense of pride will fuel you to continue.  You might feel encouraged to lean out those paper files or get the courage to attack the closets!  Who knows?

One thing is for certain, shedding the clutter can often shed the pounds. It’s astonishing to see both the spatial transformation and the weight loss. I’ve noticed that once your spaces feel lighter, YOU will feel lighter as well.  Shedding the clutter will make you feel mentally unencumbered and that can have a powerful influence on the mind/body connection.

Are you ready for the ultimate diet? Organize. Don’t be surprised that it will re-shape your life… and your body too!

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Beyond Home Organization: The 2 Forgotten Zones

07/25/2012 By Nancy Borg With 1 comment

Your spaces, and how you organize them, are a reflection of yourself.  Let’s talk about two very personal spaces (outside the home), that may be a daily challenge.

Your Handbag/Wallet:

  • Is your wallet bulging with miscellaneous papers and receipts?
  • Are you struggling to find the appropriate credit card when making a purchase?
  • Can you find the proper medical papers to present to the Dr. for an appt?
  • Is there a ton of loose change on the bottom of your handbag?
  • Can you find the gift cards for the store you are shopping in?
  • Have you walked into Bed, Bath, and Beyond, countless times, and forgotten to take the coupons?

When your wallet is bursting, and all those crumpled receipts and dollar bills have no order to them , it’s time to clean out.  In fact, it is a great habit to weed on a schedule.  If every day is not realistic, then try to weed weekly.  Control the chaos.  Pick a day, any day, and empty out the entire wallet.  Know what stuff you have in there. It shouldn’t be a mystery, it’s yours. 

Put your currency in order, place the loose change in a designated jar, and most importantly label your receipts.  Most stores have a computer print out with the description of  the item on it, but often there are some that have an ambiguous cryptic code, or secret department number, and you have no clue what you have just purchased.

Tip #1:  On top of every receipt,  jot down the item or for whom you purchased for, so if you should need to return or exchange, you will avoid frantically pulling out wads of paper and having to search and read each and every one.  Make life easier for yourself.  It’s good to be organized.

Tip #2: Corral store gift cards and coupons in a labeled Ziploc or use (a zippered pencil case works too) and keep them in your purse, or leave them in your car in a designated place.  This way, whenever you shop the stores, you will have them when you need them and know where to access them.

Solution:  You can opt to purchase this purse organizer below that can be transferred from bag to bag.

http://www.purseperfector.com/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your Car:

Does your car look like a bomb hit it?  ‘Fess up;

  •  Is yesterday’s coffee still in the cup holder?
  • Are their clothes, paper, toys, snacks, used tissues, and random things scattered all about?
  • Is there adequate room for passengers?
  • Would you be embarrassed to give a friend a lift?
  • Is your outside of your car clean? How often do you wash it?

It doesn’t matter whether you have a luxury car or a jalopy; whether you’re working or just busy;  Messy is messy.

Tip#1: Try to empty the car at the end of every day.  Avoid looking like it’s another home on wheels.

Tip #2:  Keep a small trash bag in the car to maintain the unwanted paper, food, drink, tissues.

Tip #3:  Organize the glove compartment and center console with essentials you continually search for ; hand cream, glasses, loose change, and keep emergency items handy.

Solutions:

  Floor organizer

 

 

 

 

           

Cargo pockets for kid’s toys and crafts

 

 

 

  

Handy Organizer for sunglasses and cell phone

 

 

 

 

“On the go” does not have to mean “disorganized. ”  Organize your personal spaces and be ready for multiple activities and incoming receipts.

It’s not your entire house, it’s just 2 zones…you can manage it, right?  Need to talk about it?  I am here, let’s have a conversation.

 

 

 

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