The question almost no one asks about their home – and why you should

Imagine walking into your kitchen and having everything you need to invite friends for dinner tonight.

Or having a space specifically for your meditation practice.

What would you do differently in your life if your home was set up to make doing what matters easy?

Most people haven’t got that.

They’ve never considered how to make it easy – like stupid easy – to do what they want to do at home.

They moved in, unpacked and kept on keeping on. Sometimes they move things around or buy new furniture – but it’s mostly about trying to fix what’s bugging them.

What would happen if you focused instead on setting your home up to do what you most want – the things that reflect who you really are?

It’s a different way of looking at your home

When my husband and I moved into our first “home” – one we owned, rather than one we rented for a year, I told him we had to make it easy to do what we wanted.

I didn’t want a house for the life we thought we should be living. I wanted a house for the life we actually wanted.

So that meant making it easy to invite friends over for dinner … in the middle of the week. We love cooking for people – and get a kick out of doing it mid-week. So we made sure we had enough dishes, a table for ready eating (no long term paper storage there), food in the fridge and a dishwasher that worked.

As long as we lived there, we routinely had weeknight dinner parties. And it never felt like too much work.

Because we were ready for it.

We had intentionally created a space that welcomed what was important to us.

Lives aren’t generic

Sure, we all do the same basic things in our homes.

But what matters to you – and how you want to live is different than how I want to live. Not everyone wants to have mid-week dinner parties, studio space or room to keep a yoga mat rolled out.

What you want to do at home is different.

What matters is that you know what you want to do, what you need to do it – and then arrange your space so doing that is easy.

People do what’s easy

One of the most common things I hear from people is how they would be making art, doing a spiritual practice or even working with more clients if only they had the space.

If only they didn’t have to rearrange the furniture. Or spend time setting up and then cleaning up.

If only it was easy.

People do what’s easy. And they don’t do what’s difficult – or even just inconvenient.

No matter how much they enjoy it, people stop doing things because it’s too much effort – or there’s just no space.

So today I’m asking you to do what my clients to do … look at what you want to be doing and who you want to be, and then ask

How can I create a space where it’s so easy to do this that I’ll actually do it? Where I’ll want to do that because the room is meant for it?

Most people never ask this question – and they should.

Yes, life is busy – and there’s always more to do than you have time for.

But imagine what a difference it would make if when you walked into your dining room it encouraged you to invite friends for dinner.

I’d bet you’d do it more often.

Because when your house is ready to do what you want you’ll find reasons to do that – rather than reasons not to.

It all starts with knowing what you want to do

So grab some paper and write down what you wish you were doing at home. Take 30 seconds or a minute.

Then check that you really want to do those things now. Ask yourself, why do I want to do those things? Why do they matter?

Oftentimes we think we should do something but it’s actually a should or a maybe, someday idea.

You don’t want to set your house up for that stuff. That would be making a home for someone else’s life.

You want to set it up for the things that will enrich your life.

So pick one or two things to make easy right now.

Make sure you have what you need to do it

Then take each activity and write down what you need to do it. What supplies or equipment do you need? What kind of space?

If you want to practice yoga, maybe you’d list a mat, a blanket and blocks as your supplies. And you’d need a quiet space, big enough for your mat – with a place to keep your props. Excellent.

Don’t skimp on your list. Don’t try to make do.

Write down anything you feel is important for doing your thing.

And then arrange it to inspire yourself

Now comes your bit of magic.

Imagine yourself in the space, with your stuff. What would make it easy to start doing the thing? What would make you want to do it? How do you want it set up?

Jot down whatever pops into your head. Some things might surprise you – and that’s okay.

Maybe you get the idea to practice yoga on your office floor at the beginning of the day. (It’s got a big clear space and you go in there anyway.) So you’ll try storing your props in the cabinet – and unrolling your mat the evening before.

Try it out the ideas you get – and see what a difference it makes.

If you don’t get any ideas or don’t know how to set up what you did get, that’s what I’m here for. Reach out – I’d be happy to help.

 

Because your home is either making it easy to do the things you want – or it’s making it harder.

So decide what you want to be doing and set your home up to inspire you to action. Make it easy to live the life you want in your own home. Who knows, you might be hosting mid-week dinner parties too.

 

Now it’s your turn

What do you want to make easy in your home? I’d love to hear what you want to have more of in your life – and how your home can help you. Click here to leave a comment – or ask a question.

Are you struggling with working and living in the same space?

I need your help.

I’ve been interviewing women like you, and I’ve found many are trying to make their homes work both for working and living. If that’s you, I would love to ask you some questions – and give you some free advice. Click here to find out more.