The following is a guest post about intentional living and an organized home from regular contributor, Kristin at The Gold Project.
Welcome to 2020! The start of a new year is always refreshing. It seems like a great time to make new goals with a new attitude. I used to make new year’s resolutions. Then, over time, I realized that they did not help me at all. First, they were not specific. Make myself happy was one that I wrote down one year. That was such a vague statement. I needed to dig a little deeper and make my goal attainable.
Once I realized that my resolutions or goals needed to be specific, I made an entire list of them.
After several years of failing to meet even half of the goals that I set for myself, I changed my entire perspective. For me, making a list of twenty goals a year is not realistic, especially when we are talking about money management goals or large projects.
Now, I set goals for myself, but I try not to exceed five per year. But, I have switched over to focus more on a word of the year.
My word of the year is basically an umbrella for everything I do that year. From decluttering to shopping, I keep that specific word at the front of my brain. Overall, it gives my life a focus or direction.
I start thinking about this word several months before the start of the new year. I want it to speak to me and to be a word or phrase that encompasses every aspect of my life.
How does this relate to organization?
Every year, I have organization, decluttering, and creating order in my brain when trying to narrow down my word. But, this year, it is especially related. For 2020, my word of the year is intentional or intentional living.
I have been very guilty in the past of purchasing things because it was the “it” thing on social media. If all of the influencers said I needed a certain organization product, then I felt like I needed to buy it. I did zero thinking about how I would use it in my home. I just knew it was going to work. Fast forward to the present and it has resulted in an attic full of perfectly good storage products that do not fit my home or lifestyle.
During the fall, I made the painstaking decision to pull all of these storage pieces out of the attic and evaluate their worth. After the nauseating process, I ended up donating 90% of the items in front of me. And, let me note that these storage pieces took up almost my entire attic.
The amount of money that I had wasted over the years was very alarming, upsetting, and made me feel horrible as a person.
So, now, everything that comes into my home will be evaluated before entering the door.
Intentional living means making better decisions so that you are a happier person and have no regrets. When I looked at that pile of storage pieces, I had a lot of regret. And, the ironic thing is storage containers are supposed to help you be more organized. But, that purpose is only met if it fits into your home and lifestyle. And, evidently, they didn’t fit mine.
The questions I plan to ask myself before welcoming anything in my home include:
- Why do I want this item?
- What is the item’s purpose?
- Does this item fit the vision for my home?
- Do I have a plan for this item?
If any of these questions can not be answered, then the item can not come into my home.
I would like to continue this topic in next month’s post. Today, I explained how I decided on my word of the year and the definition. Next month, I would like to dive a little deeper into the subject.
I would love for you to share your thoughts on intentional living. Also, what is your word of the year?
My name is Kristin and I am a middle school career education teacher by day and a mommy/wife/blogger by night. I am married to my high school sweetheart and we have two loving children. We recently made a life-changing move to Arkansas, so our new house is always under construction. I get excitement out of finding new creative, functional, and cute ways to organize things! I also enjoy writing and documenting life as it happens. So, I put these loves together and created The Gold Project. With the help of my husband, I am attempting to turn our house into a home. So, check out this special place of mine and take this journey with me!
Donna says
You just gave me my word for 2020 — Intentional !!
I’d been searching for a word that fit the direction I wanted my life to go. Bingo!
Kristin @ The Gold Project says
Yay!!! I am so glad I could help.
Mindy DiGiuseppe says
THANK you for sharing these words-I am in the process of a huge purge and when I look at the pile I also feel so sick. I love shopping for home decor and I am addicted to the latest organizational products! Your words “The amount of money that I had wasted over the years was very alarming, upsetting, and made me feel horrible as a person” perfectly describes the weight I have been carrying around. Then I try and justify the pile thinking I will sell it but I know I don’t have the time or bandwidth to do that! My word this year has been “baby steps” and you list of questions to ask is a great next step for me!
Kristin @ The Gold Project says
I am so glad I could help. Best of luck with your home purge. Remember to take it one step at a time. Don’t get overwhelmed. 🙂
Cheryl says
My word for 2019 was INTENTIONAL and I will be focusing on the same word for 2020. Thinking things through and making decisions based on reflection has helped me stay focused on the life I truly want to live.