Creating Space for Intentional Living
Everyday more + more things make their way into our lives.
Things that fill our homes, get put on our calendars + things that constantly weigh on our minds. Eventually, all of this 'stuff' starts piling up. We hit a tipping point + not only is it overwhelming to deal with it all but it gets hard to see the forest through the trees.
Which to be fair – modern life can be mucky… if we allow it.
From swoon-worthy social media feeds to big business advertising, life through the lens of the home industry somehow turns from beautiful eye candy into a must-have measuring stick.
It becomes a constant comparison game that hyper-focuses on what our homes don’t have.
Which in our honest opinion is unfortunate + incredibly sad.
You see, all of this “stuff” + the things we “think” inspire us boo, takes our “eye off the ball” in terms of what we truly desire.
As we’re constantly scrolling through Pinterest or our never ending Insta-feeds it begins to alter our perception of reality.
When it comes to our homes + our lives, we develop a diluted focus. And suddenly, the whole “I want… or must have…” filter that we now see life through can make it even harder to develop any sense of clarity in what our “ball” even looks like.
My friend, creating home is about inspiration, not replication.
It does take time, energy + effort to understand the why behind the home we’re creating but that’s how we know we’re truly building around what matters most.
And if that sounds like an overwhelming + exhausting task — we get it.
Heck, our overstuffed schedules are already chaotic. Filled with every event, task + activity, both personally or professionally speaking.
So, when it comes to creating a home with everything you need + nothing more®, a home that you’re proud of (+ a life you absolutely love) it can at times absolutely feel like it’s a lot of work.
Fortunately, boo, there’s a saving grace…
So are you ready to dive in + learn how to make room for intentional living?
Let’s do this!
What Does Intentional Living Mean?
For starters, intentional living looks vastly different for everyone.
And rightfully so, it’s your home (+ life) so it should be unique to you. There shouldn’t be a one-size fits all approach.
Nevertheless, intentional living is about defining what’s important to you, clearing the excess + understanding not only how to make decisions about what you want + need in your home but why those decisions are right for you.
Why Intentional Living Is Important
With a plan in place — intentional living is… living your life by making value-based choices for your home that constantly keep you in alignment with your overarching goal.
In fact, a study at the University of Baltimore called “The Strength of Pursuing Your Values” found that value-based living, in other words making decisions that are rooted in ones core values, promoted a path to more resilience.
3 Steps For Living More Intentional
To truly understand how to live with purpose + create a home that’s functional we must first start by creating a strong foundation that can support the home, and life, we want to live.
Define What’s Important To You.
Intentional living, at home, begins with a critical step… defining what’s important to you. Like a foundation is critical to supporting a home –– so too is gaining clarity around the things that matter most to you.
And we don’t want this to sound like it’s just another thing to do before designing or organizing your home... because it’s not! It’s actually waaayyy bigger than that, boo.
In the end it’ll help you feel more proud, confident, fulfilled… not to mention you’ll be living intentionally, in a home that’s both beautiful + functional!
So...
Defining what’s important means understanding:
What from our past do we want to hold on to?
What values drive our decision making in the present?
Who do we hope to become in the future?
Under this guise, intentional living is about knowing the why behind the decisions you make for your home + life. And it’s understanding why those choices are the right ones to make…
SPOILER ALERT: it’s because they represent what matters most to you as a person!
It’s not about envying the home or life that someone else has. Cuz boo, what matters most to you isn’t found thumbing through glossy magazines or on social media.
It’s in how you spend your time.
With whom you spend it with.
And what you bring into your home + life.
Clear The Excess
Call it the organizer in us but at Elegant Simplicity, intentional living + decluttering go hand in hand. You see, the cold harsh reality is we all live with too much stuff. We hold onto too much physical, emotional + mental clutter –– but it’s not for me or anyone else to determine for you what “too much stuff” looks like.
In other words, clearing the excess to live a more intentional life at home doesn’t mean getting rid of everything + becoming a minimalist.
No, friend.
Decluttering your home to live more intentionally, isn’t about throwing things away or being forced to live a certain way.
Intentional living is actually quite the opposite.
It’s about making room for things that are meaningful –– things from your past that you cherish + want to hold onto.
Intentional living is about knowing the why behind what’s worth keeping + what’s worth keeping out.
Make Decisions From A Place Of Purpose
The third simple step for living intentionally is about how we handle new stuff.
It’s about curbing impulse buying or unknowingly contributing to a culture of waste.
It’s about making room in your life + in your home for stuff that represents your values + inspires you to be the best version of yourself in the future.
James Clear, in Atomic Habits (a NY Times Bestseller) says, “let your values drive your choices” because they’re a proven way to build good habits + break bad ones.
Well boo, making decisions about your home from a place of purpose… that is driven by value (which you determined in step 1 + refined in step 2) is how you create a home with everything you need + nothing more®.
Home Is Continuous
Like life –– home is continuous. It will look different over time as your needs and desires change.
Take for instance the Golden Gate Bridge. Despite the fact that it’s only been painted end-to-end three times in its entire lifespan, it is constantly getting routine touch ups. In fact, touch up painting never stops as it’s the primary maintenance job of the 28 painters on staff.
Yep, you read that right… 28 painters!
Exposed to constant corrosion from the salty sea breeze, painting of the Golden Gate Bridge is continuous + there is no finish line because the moment they get done — they’re evaluating where else needs to be touched up in order to protect the integrity of the bridge. Which is absolutely incredible...
Because living intentionally takes time.
What it requires is constant attention.
To evaluate what’s working + what isn’t in order to create a home that’s everything you need + nothing more®.
Be Softer + Kinder To Yourself
We’ve talked about how intentional living is a process — and along the way it’s important to be softer + kinder to yourself.
You will make mistakes. You will mess up. You will buy on impulse + let the pantry get disorganized. But remember, that’s all a part of the human experience.
Being soft, kind + compassionate with yourself is making room for a more intentional home + life.
The Biggest Benefit Of Intentional Living
When it comes to mainstream media + the heavy hitters of the home industry they’re constantly telling us that what we have isn’t enough.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to improve your home (obviously, as a luxury interior design + professional organizing firm we’re all about it) but how will you know what is good change? And is it change just for change's sake?
We thought you’d never ask...
Which is why we want to highlight one of my biggest points about designing + organizing your home and intentional living
“ clarity comes from understanding why. ”
Why something is right. And, why something else is wrong.
You see, when you take the time to really evaluate the change you want from your home — the biggest benefit you get from intentional living is clarity.
Clarity in what’s important to you. Clarity in what’s unimportant. Clarity in how to make decisions for your home + life that are in true alignment with your values.
Well friend, there you have it...everything you need to know about making room for intentional living! And don’t forget, if you’re in the preliminary planning stages of your next project, let’s chat.
P.S. If you loved this article then you’re going to really enjoy the4 Days To A More Beautiful + Functional Home.