New Year is all about resolutions. The promise of a new leaf or at least the attempt of one. And while we all go making plans to lose more weight, make more money or just be a better person, not many of us pay attention to how we live, treat and respect our homes. Considering it is the one place of daily security in our lives, we do tend to not be aware of its value. So here’s a list of New Year resolutions to help you achieve that perfect home.
Get rid of the clutter: Out with the old, in with the new. That’s what a new beginning is all about. A pile of stuff gets accumulated over the year, a lot of it which you do not need. Do a quick scan, and throw away immediate stuff like newspapers and magazines. Give yourself two hours a day for a week and rummage through everything else. Books, clothes, loose papers and bills, toys and kitchen wares. Bin everything that you have not used for more than six months and you will feel much lighter and clutter-free. Continue with this resolution through the year. Assign a weekend every month to sort through the stuff and you will not have a pile to go through come next year.
A place for everything: …and everything in its place. An old adage holding true even today. Make the promise and the habit to put things back in the very same place from where you took it. It may seem tedious at first, but once you get into the habit and routine, and once you experience the calm and joy of finding that remote when you need it, or the stapler when you most require it, you will automatically want to continue with the practice.
Get organised: Just a couple of days of planning and your year will be chaos-free. Make a cleaning schedule of what needs to be done per week and who needs to do it. Put it up for the family to see. Pay bills on time by electronic clearing systems or assign a date in the month and feed it into your phone calendar so that you do not forget. Ask for all your bills to be e-bills. This reduces the clutter you have at home as well as your carbon footprint. Have an organisation folder, so everything is written down and you don’t have to think through it all the time. Make monthly shopping lists, cleaning lists and payment lists and put it in your folder. In this manner, all you have to do is consult the book and go about getting things done.
Be safe: With so much of violence and insecurity around us, it is very important we make our homes as safe as possible. In this new year, make this your priority and the most important resolution you could make. Install video door phones and burglar alarm systems at your entrance door so that you are able to see who is at the front and not be taken by surprise. This also helps in documenting everybody who comes over to your home. Companies like Godrej and Eureka Forbes and a whole host of others provide these services. Arrange a consultation and they will be able to provide you with the best solution according to your needs and budget.
The most important thing to remember while making resolutions is to keep it simple. Make it a habit, a part of your lifestyle. If you consider these resolutions to be a grand life-changing event, you will never ever stick with it. So, start small, start slow… start simple. And above all, be safe. Have a wonderful New Year.
The writer is an interior designer, with offices in Delhi and Mumbai. E-mail her at info@fleurxavierdesign.com