Now that the New Year is here, I have a question for you – did you make your New Year’s Resolutions? No? Me neither. I admit, I am not one for resolutions – goals, yes, but resolutions? No thanks.
So why am I writing a post about making resolutions? Well, while it may be a great idea to resolve to go to the gym 5 times a week or to stop biting your nails or to give up chocolate (although why you’d do that is anyone’s guess), making resolutions are often well intentioned and eagerly adopted but ultimately, thrown to the wayside once life simply gets in the way.
So I thought we’d approach this in a slightly different manner. These can be looked at as ‘resolutions’ but really, they are just about creating good habits. Habits that lead to a happier home and ultimately, a happier you.
They are not difficult and you can still eat chocolate. I mean, that’s got to be a good thing right? Right. So let’s get started.
1. Finish what you start
Now I am incredibly guilty of doing this one – I will have every intention of finishing a DIY or project around the home and suddenly, about 1/3 of the way in, I hit an obstacle. And then I lose steam. And then I lose interest. And this project just never completes, it sits there in its totally unfinished state mocking me whilst I scowl at it. So let’s make this resolution together, shall we? If we start on a project, let’s expect there will be unexpected twists and turns along the way, let’s expect that it might take us a little longer than we’d planned but let’s resolve to give ourselves the time to tackle them head on and to finish them before we start on the next. Think about how happy you will be to see that furniture with a fresh coat of paint or the bathroom finally tiled and grouted, or that room finally decorated the way you like!
2. Only buy what you love
It’s so easy to want our homes DONE RIGHT NOW but if there’s one thing I’ve learned in the 4 ½ years since we bought our home is that it takes time to really get a room looking how you like it. One of the worst things you can do is buy items that you don’t love. When you settle for something less than love, you end up with a home that doesn’t reflect you or your personality and one that doesn’t actually meet your needs and wants. Don’t settle – yes, it may take time to save up enough cash to purchase the things you love but the gratification will be so great that it’s worth it. As Miles Redd once said, ‘Buy the best and you only cry once’. When you buy cheap stand-ins, you will inevitably need to replace it down the line. So let’s resolve to save our money and only spend it when it’s on something you really love and will keep for years.
3. Test paint colours before you paint
This may seem like an odd one but a world of pain can be avoided when we don’t impulsively buy paint. Yes, it’s amazing what paint can do and it’s not that expensive so why not just pick the paint at your local DIY and slap some on the wall? Because you really need to see what the paint looks like on your wall, not just on the paint chip – paint will look differently depending upon the light in your room. So that blush pink may look like a murky brown in a north facing room or that brilliant blue might look purple in a space that doesn’t get much natural light. Resolve to get tester pots and then using a few bits of white card, paint the cards up to about an inch around the border and using Bluetac or similar, paste them up around the room. Leave them up for a day or two and see how the paint colours change depending upon the light that hits it (or doesn’t, as the case may be). If you still love it, go to town. If you don’t, then you’ve only wasted a couple of pounds and not an afternoon of having to repaint your room. Repeat until you find the paint colour that works best for you.
4. Make a plan before redecorating
What’s that old saying? “Failing to plan is planning to fail”? When tackling a design for a room, it’s easy to get caught up in buying the pretty things but before you can really get to that, you need to understand a few things – how much light does the room get? What are the sizes of the furniture you’ll need? Where are the plug sockets located? What is your budget? Answering these very non-sexy questions will save you so much effort and will save you buying the wrong things and wasting both time and money. Get the planning down first and the rest will follow so much more smoothly.
5. Keep to a realistic cleaning schedule
Don’t get me wrong – I hate cleaning. I do it because I hate my house being a mess or dirty so it’s a necessary evil but I hate it the whole time I’m doing it. So why not resolve with me that we’re going to create a manageable schedule? Create something that works for you and for the way you live – that might mean doing a little every day or it might mean taking one day a week to just get those pesky chores done. Or perhaps it means creating a rota for the family to all pitch in. Whatever you do, keep it reasonable. Okay, so you might not be able to bleach the inside of the cupboards every month but at least the dishes are always done, right? Decide your priorities and then make it a habit. And while you’re at it, why not stick on some fun music you can dance or rock out to whilst you clean?
What are your resolutions for your home this year?
Right now FADS have an amazing sale on with up to 50% off furniture for your home – check it out over on the main FADS site!
Image sources: A Beautiful Mess / Devon Rachel for Glitter Guide / Tia Borgsmidt for Nordic Design / Lonny Magazine / Joe Schmelzer on Desire to Inspire
