A Tidy Home: The Gift You Give Yourself

Hi.

I want to talk to you today. Yes … you. Not the billions of other people on this planet. Just you.

In fact, I typed what I’m going to say next with tears pooling up in my eyes, because I wanted you to hear me, and believe me.

You are important.

There is nobody else like you, and I know, that sounds like some trite statement on a dollar store birthday card, but it is 100% the truth.

So really let this sink in.

YOU are important. You are important to God. And you are important to me. Not because you’ve done anything amazing (although I’m sure you have). Not because of your qualifications (of which there are many). Not because of a skill, trait, or heritage. Just because you’re you. And because God made you.

Because of this you deserve respect and honor and dignity. From me. And from others.

And … lean in close … let this resonate with every fiber of your being … you deserve respect, and honor, and dignity … from yourself, as well.

You are worth it.

We often joke that the surest way to our house being clean is to invite someone over. I’ve made this joke (and even used it—legitimately—as an incentive to clean). We don’t want the people we have over to see the mess because we’re ashamed. Or we want them to be impressed. Or we want to make them comfortable. We clean FOR them.

We will do for others what we won’t do for ourselves.

Hang on.

Reverse.

Play that back.

We will do FOR OTHERS what we won’t do FOR OURSELVES.

Full stop.

Did you catch that?

My friend, YOU are worth a tidy home. FOR YOU. Let me repeat. YOU ARE WORTH IT.

That feeling when you walk into a nice hotel and everything is laid out for your comfort and convenience? When your bed is made, and the furniture is dusted, and everything is meant to make your day a little better?

You are worth it.

Make your home a place for rest and renewal

So what’s keeping you from believing this? From acting on it? From making YOUR HOME, however modest or extravagant or unconventional it may be, a place that is designed to give you rest and make your day a little better? EVERY day? Not just on vacation.

Sure, there are going to be days when the best gift to yourself will be some rest from the daily tidying and cleaning and decluttering. When you let it pile up just a bit. When you focus on other tasks at hand, or relationships that need attention. When, perhaps, you take a little vacation right there at home and read that book or watch that tv show instead of doing the dishes. When you catch up on the work later.

But that doesn’t have to be every day. It can be a decision you make consciously. Not a character flaw you have resigned yourself to.

A tidy home is a gift you give yourself

The biggest changes I felt in my home happened when I decided to flip my perception of the labor it took to clean my home. When I decided that tidiness was a gift I would give MYSELF. When I chose to stop viewing the daily tasks as some unwanted to-do list that adulthood had foisted upon me against my will.

I stopped reacting like the clutter around me was some strange version of an “OH YEAH? MAKE ME!” statement leftover from my angst-filled tweenage days, showing my mom just how annoyed I was that she’d have the gall to ask me to help sweep the floor.

It’s okay if you aren’t perfect at it.

I stopped believing the lie that I told myself that I was just too messy to change. Too lazy, even.

And I started treating myself, and my family, as worthy of a tidy home.

Will you do the same?

For some people, tidying comes naturally. But for the rest of us, including me, it’s a daily struggle. And if you’re reading this right now, I’d wager to guess it is for you, as well.

Stop making excuses.

We have a million reasons why we don’t make a tidy home for ourselves. We’re tired. We’re overwhelmed. We’re confused. We’re ashamed. We’re in a hurry. We don’t know where to start. The list goes on.

Will you decide to put the excuses aside?

Will you just take that first step? You can figure the rest out as you go along. You can change your methods later. What works today might not work five years from now. THAT’S OKAY.

That’s progress.

But you can’t make progress without first committing to growth.

Will you do that … for YOU?

If you’re ready to make the first steps, here are some resources I’ve personally enjoyed or used and found helpful to begin new habits and help change my mindset:

• Fly Lady’s Baby Steps list
• The Ultimate Home Checklist, by Passionate Penny Pincher
• The Hot Mess to Home Success course, by Rosemarie Groner of The Busy Budgeter (I’m an alumnus–and affiliate–of her course. It works!)
• Joshua Becker’s Becoming Minimalist website