11.14.2017

Make a home the perfect home

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There aren’t many universal truths that we can all connect with, but we think everyone can agree that your home should be an extension of who you are. Yes, that is so cliched that you may have just seen your ceiling three times as your eyes rolled, but cliches are nothing more than truisms and there is nothing truer than the impact your home has on shaping who you are. What you do within the warm walls of your humble abode influences your mood and motivation, it shapes our outlook on things and gives us that safe refuge from the battering winds of life.

It is why most people love the idea of loving their home.

The problem is, this dream tends to stay in the unachieved column because we either neglect its importance, watch it slip down the to-do list or simply let life get in the way. Even if it is just the smaller things that remain imperfect, they can still prevent your home from being the perfect home.

That is why we have written this post; to help you make some little tweaks to both your home and your habits, and shed some light on the kind of little things that will help your home become the happiest place on earth (okay, apologies, that one was a little too cliched, even for us).

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Keep On Top of Cleanliness…
No one expects you to keep your home more sterile than a private hospital, nor should you want this because a happy home is not a bare one. However, too much dirt or mess in a room will completely alter the way it looks and, yup, the way it feels too. The reason for this is because we tend to get used to dirt and mess, meaning it only really affects our subconscious, which is why it affects the way you view your home. The solution, however, is relatively easy: create a cleaning routine so that you know where you’ve cleaned and what is next. Of course, the big flaw in this plan is time - no one has enough of it. However, even having a cleaner come in once a fortnight will have a huge impact. Fact.

Always Make Your Bed…
There was a video that seemed to have gone viral a couple of months back where a Navy Admiral spoke of the importance of making your bed first thing in the morning. Cue the eye-roll. We know. This is one of the most frustrating tasks because, at the end of the day, you’re going to get back into it which makes the whole effort futile. However, by making your bed on a daily basis you will feel like you have accomplished something and this will kickstart your productivity, which can hardly be viewed as a bad thing, right? But that isn’t all. Making your bed has always been associated with happiness. It has something to do with being a keystone habit, which is where one habit helps other habits to flourish and that piques your happiness which, as we all know, is the key to all this; it is what turns a house into the perfect home.

Your House Is Your Palace…
Your home is your castle, your palace, that little slice of the world where you can feel totally comfortable and secure, safe in the knowledge that no one can intrude on your space. This is a universal truth, however, it is also something that is wavering more than ever and something that requires a little more effort to achieve than you may care to admit. It is something that you need to lock down these days, which is easily achieved with the home security services from Suddenlink. Don’t just feel safe when you are sat in front of the TV with your feet up, watching Stranger Things, worried if that noise was just the wind or a pack of Demidogs, feel safe no matter where you are with automated control through your tablet or phone. The moment your home is broken into, it no longer feels like home, not completely. It feels vulnerable. You feel vulnerable, which is why you should invest in a high-tech security system.

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Make Every Room A Little More Ready…
The concept here is simple: you want to make sure each of your rooms always looks its best. You want to give each room that decluttered existence where you can walk in and just go, “awwwww yeah, this is home.” The good news is, the solution is just as simple; all you need to do is spend two or three minutes getting a room back to ready before you leave it. It is one of the mood-boosting routines that is currently picking up a lot of traction. If you have a baby screaming in the other room, no one expects you to spend three minutes decluttering the mess. But maybe go over it once before you head out to the shops, that sort of thing. You’ll be amazed at just how much this will make you fall in love with your home. You’ll be amazed at just how much more your home can feel like home.

Really Get Into Your Chores…
Unless you are Mrs Weasley then you know full well that you are going to have to wash that huge pile of dishes in the sink at some stage or another. They aren’t going to wash, scrub, rinse and dry themselves. So, given that you cannot get out of doing them, why not go the other way and get really into doing them because, you know what, you will probably really like it. Pop on some amazing playlist on Spotify, turn the music right up and just get into it. Enjoy the soapy goodness on your hands and the immediate success you can see with your eyes as the dishes get stacked on the drying rack and pump your first when you are done. But don’t stop with the dishes; you can do this with every chore. Do the vacuuming like you’re Ms Doubtfire, wash the car like you’re doing the dishes and tidy up that chair in your bedroom covered in discarded clothes with a smile. If you pretend you like it you will soon find that you do like it.

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Wake Up And Think Intently…
It is way too easy to wake up, roll over and squint at your phone through sleepy eyes, but this is not a good habit. This will simply set you up for a tired and somewhat miserable day. Instead, heed the words of the Dalai Lama and wake up with an intent to enjoy your life. We don’t mean you have to wake up and say, “Morning me, today I am going to be the perfect human, “ because that is quite the pressure. Instead, wake up and give yourself some sort of daily task that you can uphold. Be super-productive around the house. Get all of your admin done. Enjoy cooking at least two meals today. Tell your loved ones just how much you love them. Finally, declutter the spare room. Paint that wall in the kitchen. By waking up and instantly giving yourself something to do with your day you will find you are much more likely to do it and that will make you feel accomplished in your home. This is a good thing for you and the relationship you have with your home.

Create Some Homely Rituals…
This is one of the things that will really make your home feel like home. It could be having a cosy Saturday night movie and popcorn session with the whole family or it could be you start having a 4th July party at yours every year, or even just doing Thursday morning baking sessions. That’s what will add a whole new layer of warmth and comfort to your life. You’ll have a bond with your home. you ‘ll have your own traditions and with each of those will come your own memories and that is something that you will cherish. It is something that will bring people together and have them all looking forward to making the next batch of memories at your place. Traditions are one of the foundational pillars of a home. A house is a shell made of walls, but a home is where stories swirl about like there is no tomorrow.

A Place For Your Heirlooms…
It could be that you inherited a Ming vase or a gold candelabra that was given to your great grandfather by Thomas Edison. However, it could equally be that collection of toy buses and cars that your dad loved to collect or even your grandmother’s quilt draped over the back of the sofa. By having a home where the story stretches back to a time long ago you will really add a whole new dimension. You will see this as a home in the truest sense of the word. Your home boasts objects that are rooted in the past while also being a vessel that excites your hopes for the future. That’s magical. 

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