Ditch the self-loathing!
We will always love you.
New year, new guilt?
Did you just yell at your kids, eat carbs, hit snooze or skip gym? We have news for you: That simply means you are human!
It has been a couple of crazy weeks since the start of the new year and as school and work pick up the inevitable speed of 2025, you might have slipped a bit when it comes to any new year’s resolutions you made while lounging around on the 1st of January…
And guess what? That is OKAY!
Homemaking, gardening, parenting, working, and life in general isn’t set in stone. It is an ever evolving, dynamic journey with a multitude of ups and downs. As long as you don’t actively harm yourself or others, it is fine to slip a little and give yourself grace.
Let’s say you had lofty ideals when it came to your home this year:
“No more clutter piled on the dining room table. Sort out the back yard, and have the garden looking less like a post-apocalyptic landscape.” …But then work started and the clutter crept back…
This is your signal not to give up on yourself just yet.
Most home-related resolutions tend to centre around breaking the cycle of bad home-habits. Maybe you aimed too high? Be realistic about your goals and take it one step at a time. Instead of seeing a pile of homogenous clutter, look at it in different categories.
One good habit at a time.
Schoolbags, homework and lunchboxes everywhere? Start by simply making a space for any education related items and spend a few weeks forming a new habit of putting these things away in the right spots each day. When this habit is established, you can move on to the next category. Yes, it might take a bit longer until you can see the surface of the table again, but by ensuring you have these new habits sorted, your resolution will become a sustainable lifestyle instead of an insurmountable task.
Bin it:
If you haven’t done this already, do a hardcore home cleanup. There are many online spaces where you can sell whole unsorted bags or boxes of unused items from home appliances to clothing and linen. Don’t put it off because you feel you have to sort it out before you bin it – give yourself a bit of free reign to simply bit it all, and start enjoying guilt free, clear surfaces.
Top Tip: Take care not to give away too much, (old towels and clothes that can get dirty are ALWAYS handy to have in the cupboard) but be brutal on other things that just stand around taking up space.
Rethink it:
Before you hate yourself for breaking a resolution, take a long, hard look at why you made it in the first place. If you decided to change your eating/cooking habits because you have a health concern, we support you, and we think you are awesome.
If you honestly only decided to stop eating carbs (or whatever else you think you should skip) so that you can fit into your high school jeans again…Sorry dear, that’s not worth it. The same goes for home-resolutions made in a desperate attempt to “Keep up with the Jones’s”. No two homes, lifestyles or families are the same, so do not force yourself into a space and system/routine that simply isn’t sustainable for you and your loved ones. It’s not too late to change your mind, and this doesn’t have to be the year in which you redo your entire home and have the perfect garden!
Progress, not perfection, is the real goal of life.
And as always: Your Homemakers family loves you!
Also read our article on how to create a special place in your home that is just yours.
