This is my experience on using the New York Times best seller, "One Year To An Organized Life" by Regina Leeds to enhance my quality of life and establish lifestyle routines. I admire her take on getting organized one week and one area at a time because I thrive on achieving little accomplishments in moments. I hope this inspires you to get the book, follow along, and establish your own lifestyle routines as well!"
- Cheli Njoku/The Cheli Experience LLC
”The magic thing about home
is that it feels good to leave,
and it feels even better
to come home”
The October chapter on One Year To An Organized Life’s immediate tone was taking pride in your home. When I walk in my home I want to feel welcomed; and you should too. How you organize and decorate your home crates a welcoming impact for you and your guests.
The 4th quarter of the year in my opinion is one of the best seasons to get creative with the aesthetic appeal of your home. Fall season is so inspirational when it comes to decorating and staging with bold and neutral colors of gold and browns and emerald green. It also a season for hosting dinner parties and meaningful gatherings at home.
Respecting your most used spaces at home is a must and October’s chapter inspires that.
So many times I’ve had to fold up a throw used by someone on the couch and place in the basket or return a used coaster or cup to the kitchen. I used to think this was obsessive behavior (as I’m usually accused of...) but it’s actually respectful behavior. I'm respecting my most used space so it’ll continue to serve me and my guests well. One of those ways is not only maintaining the look and feel but also enhancing it.
I share below some methods I applied from the book to maintain and enhance my home space.
Home questions
Viewing my room with fresh eyes will open up my creativity and give the room the identity it deserves. I first ask myself the purpose of the room to define it. Then I ask myself if it looks like it’s definition. What is needed? What can be removed? What could be enhanced? The goal is to make it inviting while fitting its description.
Entertainment Questions
To entertain or not to entertain?- that is the question. It is after all the season for it with Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas hitting each month of our fourth quarter. I like to entertain but depending on my mood I’m more than OK showing up to someone else’s soiree than hosting my own. I approach entertaining by being intentional with how I use my space - the dining table, the living room, and the kitchen island. My home is an open space plan so people move freely from one space to the next. But I still keep it intentional especially if I’m entertaining. The kitchen island and dining table is where you congregate to eat drink and talk. The living room is for board games and debates. The staging in each space makes it clear what is taking place so you get in where you fit in. This intentional planning works great for someone with a small open space plan like myself and works wonders for clean up as well.
Invest in your space
I used to be very apprehensive about staging my home to fit the season. I thought it was wasteful and the funds could be applied to other needs. So I’d hold back. But using “home questions” from the book this year turned me around. I was able to identify exactly how I wanted to decorate my home based on a theme, color or object. So my shopping was intentional and not the least bit wasteful like I would fear in the past. I kept my minimalist mindset and was still able to bring my living room to life. It now subtly whispers "elegant fall and nature" the way I envisioned it and I love it!
Affirmation Of The Month
“I honor the souls of all who enter my home. The environment welcomes those who live here, those who visit, and those who come to help my family. May everyone who enters feel blessed.”
- Regina Leeds
Live Well.
Comments