Mindfulness Tips for an Organized Home

When many of us hear the term “mindfulness,” we picture total silence and stillness, trying to achieve the exact opposite — an empty mind.

While mindfulness can indeed help us meditate, it starts with an even simpler practice: awareness. How many times have you lost track of something, when you know that if only you’d paid more attention, you wouldn’t be scrambling at the last minute to find it?

Even with the most intentionally organized home, we’re all bound to misplace something every now and then. But you don’t have to achieve nirvana to save the day. It all starts by being more present.

Here are a few quick tips on how you can incorporate mindfulness in your everyday life and keep better track of items in the house.

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1. Declutter Without Distraction

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We already agree that a decluttered home offers tons of benefits for your daily routine and even your mental health. But what does it mean to declutter distraction-free?

First, try to reduce as much noise and traffic in the house as possible. This ensures that you’re more focused and aware while decluttering and deciding placement for everything. This may mean picking a day that work won’t interfere, having the spouse run errands, and telling the kids to play outside!

This one may be a bit obvious, but once you’re ready to tackle some organizing, a quiet and calm atmosphere helps you become more cognizant about where you’re placing things (and more likely to remember where it lives in the future).

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2. Use Visual Cues

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Let your home do some of the work for you. Incorporate decorative signage in your living spaces to designate proper storage areas.

For example, many folks hang a key ring shelf near the front door — maybe it even says “Phone, Keys, Wallet” in a script font! This shelf creates a visual cue that will naturally become part of your entry/exit routine. Hanging up your keys as soon as you walk through the door ensures you’re not throwing them down or carrying them throughout the house.

Even if the decor isn’t signage or lends itself to storage options, our minds can naturally make connections with other visual cues, helping to establish memories to call upon later.

Let’s say you’re looking for your phone charger. You vaguely remember your eyes passing over the vase of flowers on your dining table last time you had the power cable in hand — and voilá, turns out you must have set it down on the same table!

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3. Designate a Space for Relaxation

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If you’re focused intently on the perfect, foolproof organization in your home, you may overlook the most important part — that a home is about peace, relaxation, and being yourself. Therefore, it’s important to still curate a home that feels like home.

For some, this means escaping to our favorite worlds in a cozy reading nook; for others, it may mean tending to your garden in the backyard.

Whatever brings you peace — don’t forget to carve out the time and space for that as well.

In other words, just as valuable as being present while organizing your home is being present with yourself in that home. Nothing promotes mindfulness like taking a break from the hustle and bustle.

While it does take some time, patience, and practice, mindfulness can mean different things to everyone. But one thing’s for sure: Being more intentional about our homes promotes mindfulness within ourselves, too.

For more benefits, hacks, and memory-jogging tips (because we’re all still bound to misplace the TV remote), check out this help infographic from our friends at Angi.com.

Image courtesy of Angi.com