A Fun (And Doable) January Jumpstart For Your Home
Ahh, January…
…no one’s favorite time of the year. The twinkle lights are packed up, the schedule goes back to routine, and the weather is appalling. While some of us may get giddy at what we consider a blank slate of a month (New calendars! Yes please!), it’s easy to feel bleak about the first month of the year. After all, many of us are newly denying ourselves the food we like best and trying to pack in a fitness session far too early in the morning. Who can expect us to also be in a good mood?
But for others of us, the moment the tree goes down, the thrill of new opportunities arrive. Using January to begin rethinking your home may become one of your favorite new ways to embrace a fresh calendar year.
Set Some Goals
These goals don’t have anything to do with protein intake or planks, so you can just relax! Instead, use this moment to write down your dreams for your home this year. Type out an email to yourself that details all the ins and outs of upcoming projects, wishlists, and ideas. For example:
Clean out basement
Paint trim in the dining room
Find fun wallpaper for the guest bath
Clean out gutters
Update address numbers
Some of your goals will be weekend warrior situations while others may require contracted help. Give yourself a generous estimate of how much time you think the goal will take to complete and what your budget might be and note it to the side.
Next, decide what you can do first. This is the fun part. Schedule something easy to begin with so you stay encouraged and motivated throughout the year. Clean out a closet or paint the mantle. Do something you know you’ll enjoy…we find that an audiobook or a great podcast makes any menial task more enjoyable. Give yourself plenty of time or prepare plenty of help along the way and if you have trouble keeping promises to yourself, set a hard deadline and think up of a great reward. Did you repair something? You get an iced coffee! Bribes work.
Note What You Love
Chances are, even if your home is not your ideal spot, there are things about it or your possessions that you love, that remind you of home, and that make you feel pleasant or relaxed. Jot those things down and remind yourself of them often, especially when you’re considering doing larger projects on your house. Consider what your home values are? For example:
Ample space for overnight guests
An organized kitchen for frequent cooking.
Debt-free updates
Good space for outdoor entertaining.
Who or what do you need to keep or make space for? What colors bring you joy? Keeping a written copy of these things will guide you toward design decisions or make you feel more content with what you already have.
Go Small
This is not Extreme Home Makeover…it won’t get done in a day. So give yourself grace, time, and a solid budget for the year ahead. Remember, this is a list of goals and sometimes, goals go unmet a bit longer than we expected. Do what you can to fulfill your dreams or tackle necessary issues as soon as you can and plan ahead for the larger items, steering clear of next year’s holiday season, if at all possible.
The ultimate reward, of course, is having a home that looks, feels, and functions exactly as you would have it. You’ll find that organizing and prioritizing your hopes, updates, and repairs will make you feel more accomplished, less stressed, and far more prepared for your future of home ownership.