On Decorating, Creating Better Habits, and Writing

I need your help. I’m embarking on a massive Simplify My Life campaign. Because of this, I’m desperate to surround myself in function, simplicity, and beauty. Starting with my home.  

I love to decorate. But I’m not good at it. In fact, there are only six things I do pretty well as it relates to my home.

1. Decorate with things I don’t love, or even like.
2. Buy something cheap that’s similar to something I love.  
3. Find 387 ways to decorate an area and hating every one of them.
4. Know what I truly, truly love.
5. Create an eclectic disparate collection of objects I truly, truly love.
6. Not use said eclectic disparate collection in a way that I love.

My MO? Work Harder, Not Smarter (D’oh!)

Whoever first said Work Smarter, Not Harder may have had that light bulb moment after observing me. If there's a backward, painful, messy way to do something, I find it. And I give very little thought to how to make things better. 

Enter Better Than Before

If you haven’t read Gretchen Rubin’s book by this title, you should. It’s all about habits. And I have room to improve. So in the immortal words of the Doors (via Lucas from Empire Records): The time to hesitate is through.

Which is why I’m blogging. If I want to continue improving my home, I need external accountability. I’m an Obliger, which means I meet outer expectations (why my copywriting clients keep me around). But because of this, I need to write faster and smarter and focus more on things I love (like decorating!).

Please don’t ask me to declare a blogging frequency, as I have what Gretchen calls Rebel tendencies. Let’s not give my little Rebel any reason to freak and run away.

See an overview of Gretchen’s Four Tendencies here. And take her quiz to learn about your own tendencies! 

Decorating is a Lot Like Writing

Both are about finding your voice and defining your story. To be successful at either, you have to do things 100 ways that don’t work in order to find what does. Those who are great find their style and accept that with practice, it continually evolves. 

Let’s Take This to the Next Level

I’d like to enter a long-term relationship with you. One based on mutual trust and respect. So please read this blog if:

• You like pretty stuff that functional and easy.
• You’re interested in creating better habits and/or simplifying your life.
• You try (and oft fail) to define and execute your style.
• You’re okay with a gratuitous use of bullet points and em dashes. And sentences that start with and. But you’re also okay with typos and jokes that only four people on this planet get and sentences beginning with but.
• You don’t mind the occasional F-bomb (Sorry Mom,but let it be known that you did not fail. Readers, I was raised better than that. Let’s agree to blame my inner Rebel.)

Meet Project One: My Home Office Bookshelves

 I’m in love, I’m in love, and I don’t care who knows it! - Buddy the Elf

On September 21, 2015 – aka The Best Day Ever – my husband finished installing these beautiful, simple, and functional shelves that I vow never to desecrate with un-thoughtful or boring design decisions.

But that means I gotta move this:

Book hoarding at its finest.

To this:

My beautiful new shelves + one fat cat

First step? Getting rid of books that no longer serve. Which will be the topic of my next post.

Until then, please, tell me your favorite way to arrange/style books in your home!