Want to change how you feel in your home?  Do you avoid even thinking about changes you can make for fear of adding to your already-overflowing to-do list? 

The trick is to discover high-impact changes you can make that won’t take much time, effort or money.  The first step is to pay attention to your space exactly as it is.  Most of us are in a rut, so accustomed to doing the same things over and over that we don’t see our homes as they really are.  No matter how busy you are or how cluttered your space is, taking even just a few moments to look around with fresh eyes -- as though you were visiting someone you just met or house-shopping and seeing this space for the first time -- may give you ideas of some small actions that can have big impact.

Naomi Hoffer changed the first thing that caught her eye when she walked into her house.  She says, “It used to be that we had our vacuum cleaner (of all things!) right in the field of vision when we walked up the stairs and into our home.  I moved it into the closet and put a plant in its place instead [above right].  Now our apartment is much more welcoming and thoughts of house cleaning are no longer automatically triggered in me when I first come home.”  Similarly, Marni Hecht painted some trim on the exterior of the house, as well as her living room and adjacent dining room, using yummy colors like chocolate brown, maple cream and chianti red. [below left]  She says, “Adding color made a huge difference in the entire feel of the house.”

When you have intention in addition to attention – that is, when you are clear about what it is you want to create, as well as aware of what is already so – it can be surprising how simple it is to make small changes that leverage everything else toward your goals.  Cindy Cossen “downgraded” from the master bedroom to a smaller room when her daughter moved out, a shift she says ”was the beginning of wonderful changes in my life.”  She says, “The larger space allowed me to do too many things in the room.  My sewing was there, and my computer.  It was crowded and did not feel nurturing… I decided that having a small bedroom that was only used as a bedroom would feel better to me.  I painted and put a new bed and a few small pieces of furniture that I love in the room.  I kept the walls bare except for an antique mirror.  The simple feeling of this room has made it a loving, nurturing place. Even when the rest of the house is in some kind of chaos I have this place.” 

Once you identify small changes you can make, it’s important to act quickly, but not impulsively.  Perhaps you won’t buy that new rug today, but you can call a friend to see where they would recommend shopping and go online to research what to look for. 

If you’re avoiding taking action right away, it can be useful to ask yourself why.  We tend to get stopped by the same things over and over. Whatever’s stopping you here is most likely the same thing that keeps you from acting in other areas of your life. These barriers often arise out of stories that we tell ourselves, which are usually untrue and don’t serve us. “Going for it” trains our brains to do things differently, opening up new possibilities in our lives beyond the task at hand.  Gail Eve did something unusual in sponge-painting her bathroom.  “I don't see myself as creative or artistic,” she says, “but it was fun and looks good.”

Action Steps To Do Today

1. When you are relaxed, leave your house and enter again through the door you use most often.  Simply PAY ATTENTION.  What do you notice?  Here are some questions to get you started:

What is the first thing you see?

What is your attention drawn to? Away from?

What are you immediately reminded of? 

How do you feel here?

Where do you immediately want to move to? 

What does your experience tell you about the person who lives here? 

Is that consistent with who you want to be and what you want to do in your life?

If the entrance you used was not your front door, you may want to try this exercise again coming through the front door. 

2. From these observations, write down five things you could do to make your home feel better to you.  This list could include things you want to remove, bring in, move, repair, paint or alter in some other way.

3.  Choose at least one of these items and take action on it NOW!  Remember: you don’t have to complete it now, but do get started and create a plan for following through.