This weekend was all about purging.
I usually spend most of my weekends with my boyfriend at his place, so I’ve conveniently put off organizing the mess in my own home, and of course it only got worse and worse each week. With my boyfriend away I finally tackled the areas of the my house that have been gnawing at me for months. Starting was the hardest part, but I built momentum last week when I took about a dozen shoe boxes and other recyclables to the industrial sized recycling bin at his apartment building, and by Sunday I had hauled bags and bags of things out of my house.
It was tough work, both mentally and physically. It looked so much worse before it started to look organized and at 2am on Friday night I looked around and figured it would be easier if I just moved and started a new life somewhere else. While organizing my work space, I was frustrated by the layout and furniture and decided that I’m no longer going to live with and look at things I don’t love in my house. With that resolution, I immediately cleared out my filing cabinet and awkwardly but ceremoniously carried it out of my house. It was too heavy to load into my car by myself, so I set it on the lawn*. It felt great. I’ve always hated that filing cabinet. Soon it’ll be adios to my desk and chair as well.
So that’s all I’ve been doing – organizing, throwing things out (so satisfying), watching Entourage in the background, vowing never to accumulate so much paper-stuff, wondering if other girls collect paper bags from stores in a pile underneath their bed, shopping for a new desk, looking at office inspiration on Pinterest, wondering if every apartment in the Scandinavian region is just by default awash in an abundance of natural lighting, and having my monthly baking class in between.
It is a fact that your physical space directly affects your mental space. Peter Walsh’s “It’s All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff” is a great book that I read on a regular basis to help me maintain a clutter-free home. I still have some work to do (like organize the mini-Sephora that is my bathroom), but I already feel so much more clear-headed. I used to feel a pang of frustration and stress every time I looked at my previous clutter or tried to find something in it. What torture! A home environment should be conducive to creativity and a peace of mind.
How was your weekend? What are some good habits you have for maintaining an organized home and work space?
*Don’t worry I didn’t leave it there
Photos by Danny Liu
I’m wearing:
TORY BURCH “Callan” dress // ANN TAYLOR belt // DL2 BY DAWN LEVY “Lila” Colorblock coat – currently 50% off. Also available in black and grey colorblock. // J. CREW Elsie pumps // FENDI 2jours tote // MICHAEL KORS fur pompom // EMERSON FRY scarf c/o // GORJANA ring // PRADA sunglasses // SHELLAC Cityscape nail polish // NARS lipgloss in Dolce Vita over BURBERRY lip cover in Primrose Hill Pink with BURBERRY lip pencil in Dusty Rose //