5 Truths That Will Make You Happier In Your Home

These days we are spending more and more time in our homes. This makes our homes matter more than ever before. The truth is there are simple things you can do that will make you happier in your home right now!

The Evidence Shows We Long To Feel Happier At Home

I was reading a Wall Street Journal article with a title that caught my eye.

“Decluttering Books Are Cluttering Our Bookshelves”

The article discusses how sales of self-help and home organization books have soared. In fact, sales have risen by 78 % from 2014 to 2018. They are also up an additional 94% in the past year.

It is so true, bookshelves have indeed become cluttered with books on all kinds of ways to declutter and simplify your home and life.

As the article points out, consumers as a group, are at a place of overload.  At the same time, we’re “clicking add to cart at lighting speed.”  This is why simplicity is becoming more important than ever,  it’s because people’s lives are more complicated than ever.

But it’s more than just the clutter in your home. Another driving force behind this desire to declutter and simplify is the need for the comfort of home and connection.

The purpose and function of your home is so much more than a place to sleep and prepare meals. Your home is where you start and end your day, it’s the place you come to escape the stresses of the outside world. It’s the place where relationship bonds are strengthened and cherished memories are made.

So it is no surprise that we’re desperately searching for ways to help us simplify, declutter, and organize our homes.

We are seeking ways to be happier in our homes.

5 Truths To Make You Happy With Your Home

While yes, consumer goods, (even decluttering books) may improve your level of contentment, they will not ultimately make you happier in your home because there will always be some item that needs to be fixed. However, these truths when focused on and applied will help you to love your home!

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1. A Simple Home Makes You Feel Happier In Your Home

As much as we’re all craving simplicity, sometimes I think it’s human nature to complicate things.

We buy into the idea that we need the latest and greatest gadgets. Alexa promises to play our favorite song with a simple voice command. There’s cultural pressure to have our kids involved in every extracurricular activity we come across. We even feel like meals should be elaborate servings of beef wellington, asparagus, and potatoes au gratin.

However, this is the opposite of simplicity!

Seeking simplicity means creating less stress, less cleaning, and less debt. It also means creating more time, more of what truly matters to us, and more opportunities to be fully present.

Instead of constantly seeking the latest and the greatest gadgets seek to simplify your home by filling it only with those things that you love or improve your life. Have simple meals, order pizza, or serve spaghetti with sauce from a jar (there are many healthy and natural options my favorite is Rao’s).

Instead of running the kids in three different directions all on the same evening stay home and play a board game or invite friends over for a game night!

Enjoy the blessing of having fewer décor items to dust around and less clothing equals less laundry.

The truth is a simple home is a blessing and provides refuge from a very complicated world. A simple home will make you happier in your home!

2. What Comes In and Out Of Your Home Matters

It’s important to be aware of what you bring into your home. Every single thing you bring home takes up some of your time as well as your physical and emotional space.

This means learning to be intentional about what you’re bringing into your home. You want the items in your home to have a specific purpose.

To help ensure I’m not buying things I don’t need, I’ve found these questions to be very helpful! When asked BEFORE going shopping it’s an excellent way to know you’re only bringing in those items that you truly love or use.

In addition to the actual items you buy, there are a few other ways things commonly enter our home. They can be a little trickier.

The trickiest involves what to do with gifts that you’ve given. You have to determine if they’re really worth the time and space they’re taking up. If you decide they’re not, there’s no reason to keep them.

Here’s the thing, you can appreciate the time and thought that went into the gift without having it declutter your home. Consider selling it, re-gifting, or even donating the item.

Another area that can be tricky for a lot of people is all of those fun free samples. If it’s not something you need or love don’t take it! Ask yourself, do you really need another tote bag? Probably not.

Now, what about the items you’re removing from your home? Are you doing this regularly? Do you have items in your home that are no longer useful or you just don’t love anymore?

To avoid cluttering up your bookshelves with how to declutter books be intentional with what comes in and out of your home! Having regular times of decluttering scheduled will help you keep a handle on the incoming.

An easy way to declutter is by keeping a decluttering basket in your living room or a donation box in the closet. When you come across items that need to be decluttered,  you can deal with them immediately. This will stop your home from becoming overrun with clutter!

Make sure to check out these articles for more help on getting rid of your clutter.

3. A Decluttered Home Can Be A Cozy Home

If you’ve read a few home articles on this blog you know that having a cozy home is important to me.

You want a home that’s inviting and welcoming not just for guests, but for your family as well. It’s also important that your home reflects your personal style and the things you love.

At the same time, having your home be as clutter-free as possible is necessary for making your home inviting. After all, nobody feels cozy and comfy in a messy home or after spending hours cleaning and maintaining your home.

So the question is can your home be welcoming and cozy while also being clutter-free?  The answer is YES!

We’ve talked a little about keeping your home clutter-free above, now making it welcoming and cozy is about adding little touches.

As you think about your home decor, try using a variety of materials and shapes. Using several types of throw pillows and varying their sizes, shapes and the material they’re made from will add a lot of interest.

Adding a beautiful textured throw blanket will be a game-changer and an easy way to bring in new textures. Think chunky knits, thick furs, or simple geometric patterns.

Aim for neutrals as a base color palette and then add pops of color if that’s your thing. Use throw pillows, pretty candles, or a colorful vase on a table.

Don’t forget to add a few plants or fresh flowers. They bring in so much variety in texture and color while really making your home feel cozy and inviting.

These are little touches that will cozy up your home without adding clutter!

4. Empty Spaces Are Useful

When I first started simplifying my home it was actually really hard to leave empty spaces. Our house is pretty small so every space was packed.

However, as I went along I began to see how useful empty spaces were. Empty spaces improve the aesthetic of your home, the functionality of your home, and your personal well-being.

Having clear spaces in your home creates a calming effect and allows everything to appear clean and fresh.

Not only does an empty space bring an element of calmness but it can actually help your other design elements stand out.

Don’t be afraid to leave your flat services clear. You don’t need to have a ton of decorations all over your coffee table or mantel.

Your empty spaces will be useful to make sure the design elements you love shine. The truth is you can express more of your style with less stuff!

5. A Decluttered Home Is A Hospitable Home

I have a sweet friend who has a large beautiful home that sits on at least an acre of property. She is always opening her home for others to use for events, weddings, graduations, birthday parties, and bar-b-ques.

Whenever you mention to her how kind her hospitality is, she always responds the same, “It’s not my home, it’s the Lord’s”. You see she uses her home to serve others.

Now obviously not all of us are going to be able to open our homes up to the degree my friend does, however, the mindset is the same.

When our homes are overrun with clutter, even if it’s cluttered shelves on how to get rid of clutter, we are serving our home. We spend our time and energy devoted to keeping up with the housework and attempting to maintain some semblance of order.

However, when we see our home as an opportunity to serve others our mindset changes. We’re no longer looking for ways to fill it with the latest gadgets and spend hours on activities that take us away from it.

Instead, it becomes a refuge. A place of comfort where you can receive a good meal, a welcoming hug, and freely enjoy the people you’re with.

Rather than filling your home with the latest fads and empty objects that require you to maintain and care for, fill it with ways to serve the people in it. I promise you’ll find yourself so much happier in your home when you do this.

What Doesn’t Matter When It Comes To Being Happier In Your Home

When it comes to the truths concerning what matters about your home, it’s just as important to know what won’t make feel happier with your home! 

The size of your home or your home décor does not matter!

We’ve all done it at some point or another, thinking that we would be happier in our home if only we had a bigger place or a smaller space. We get caught up in this idea that if we only had this or that, more storage space, a bigger pantry, an extra bedroom, a nicer couch, newer carpeting, you’d be happy.

But these are not truths. What matters about your home is maintaining a simple home, filled with the things you love and the people you love! This will make you happier in your home!