How UN Are You?

How UN Are You?

How UN Are You? Assessing Your Motivation, Interest, and Energy for Decluttering, Cleaning, and Organizing

I have been planning and dreaming about taking control of my house for over a year now. I’ve considered each room and how I want the room to look, feel, and function. I’ve made this a major goal for this year.

I’ve thought about the available spaces and whether my belongings would fit into the spaces. However, I know the answer to that problem. No – my belongings would not fit into the available spaces in my home. Solution: get rid of enough stuff so the remaining stuff will fit into my space.

I know what I want, and I know what I need to do. Why haven’t I been progressing on this goal?

After much procrastination and endless analysis, I have come to the inevitable conclusion.

I want a decluttered, clean, and organized home. I just don’t want to do it!

I’m the founder and organizing leader of the UN-Crowd – the UN-motivated, UN-interested, and UN-energetic!

Have you ever felt overwhelmed, uninterested, or lacking in energy when faced with household tasks? If so, you’re not alone. Welcome to the UN-Crowd!

Many of us find ourselves in the UN-Crowd at one time or another, struggling to muster the motivation to tackle clutter and chaos. We may want a clean and organized house, but getting there is a major struggle.

This post is all about assessing your motivation, interest, and energy levels when it comes to decluttering, cleaning, and organizing your home.

Understanding the UN-Crowd

To begin, let’s consider whether you are a likely member of the UN-Crowd. The UN-Crowd consists of individuals who feel UN-motivated, UN-interested, and UN-energetic when it comes to decluttering, cleaning, and organizing their homes. They may feel overwhelmed by the thought of tackling clutter, lack the energy to get started on household tasks or simply hate the thought of decluttering, organizing, and cleaning.

There are several common reasons why people may find themselves in the UN-Crowd. Busy schedules, overwhelming clutter, and a lack of knowledge on where to start can all contribute to feelings of being UN-motivated, UN-interested, or UN-energetic when it comes to household chores.

Assessing Your UN Status

Now that we've defined the UN-Crowd, let's take a closer look at where you currently stand on the “UN” scale. Using this simple self-assessment tool, you'll be able to rate your current level of motivation, interest, and energy when it comes to decluttering, cleaning, and organizing your home.

Take a moment to reflect on each statement and rate your feelings honestly on a scale of 1 to 10. Once you've completed the assessment, you'll have a clearer understanding of your current status and where you may want or need to focus your efforts.

Click on the title below and take this quick and easy self-assessment. It should take only a couple of minutes.

Self-Assessment: Where Are You on the UN Scale?

Are You a Member of the UN-Crowd?

 

Identifying Challenges and Obstacles

As you complete the self-assessment, you may begin to identify specific challenges or obstacles that are contributing to your feelings of being unmotivated, uninterested, or unenergetic when it comes to household tasks.

Are you too busy to embrace decluttering and organizing?

Is knowing where and how to start daunting?

Do you fear letting go of stuff you’ve had forever?

Are you happy with the current level of clutter and organization in your home?

Take note of any patterns or recurring themes that emerge as you reflect on your current status. Do you want to make changes in the current status of clutter, organization, and cleanliness of your home? If not, fine. It’s up to you.

By identifying any challenges, you'll be better equipped to develop strategies for overcoming them and moving forward toward a more organized and peaceful home environment.

That’s where I’m headed – toward an organized, peaceful home, one where I know what stuff I have and where I’ve stuffed it! (Not “stuffed it” – I mean where I assigned it to be, nearest its point of use, and where I might look for it first when needed!)

It’s going to be a long and slow journey for me. The goal is better, not perfection. And I don’t think there is an end. There will always be parts of the process that need repeating from time to time. But each time I have to declutter, clean, or organize again, it will be easier than the first time.

Are you coming? What’s holding you back?

A final word of clarification: Your decluttering, cleaning, and organizing journey may look very different from mine. There is no right or wrong way to get to your destination. You simply decide how much or how little you need or want to declutter, clean, and organize. Take what you need or want from the resources and advice I share along my journey, and let the rest go. Define your organizing journey. Do as little or as much as you decide.

Comments and questions are welcomed!

Fall Pumpkin Topiary – DIY for 80% Less Than Wayfair or WalMart

Fall Pumpkin Topiary – DIY for 80% Less Than Wayfair or WalMart

Ready to unleash your creativity with a gorgeous fall topiary?

That's what I did, and now I’m ready for fall! I finished two fall pumpkin topiaries and have them flanking my front door.

I got my inspiration for creating the topiaries after seeing a similar one in Wayfair and WalMart. And the best part – theirs were $300 for one topiary! And mine is about 80% less than that.

If you want to see how I did it, just click the image below to watch the video! It's easier than you think!

What do you think? Would you like to make a similar one yourself?

I’ve got just the thing to help you create your own fall topiary! You can download my FREE Instructions – Fall Pumpkin Topiary PDF!

The PDF gives you step-by-step instructions for exactly what I did to create my own topiary plus tips along the way to save you time and frustration.

The link to the instructions is in the YouTube video description. Just click the link for your FREE download!

And, if you create your own topiary, I’d love to see it and post it in a future blog post!

Can You Match These 9 Decorating Styles You’ve Never Even Heard Of?

Can You Match These 9 Decorating Styles You’ve Never Even Heard Of?

 

That was just for fun!  And here are the answers! How did you do?

 

Now, what can we glean from this little quiz?

  1. There are no hard, fast decorating rules. Do what you like!
  2. Create and name your own decorating style. It’s got to be as good as Barbiecore or Frogcore, right??
  3. We’re BACK!! Grandma and Grandpa have returned, triumphantly!! Embrace it!

 

Disclosure: My blog posts sometimes contain affiliate links. This means I earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase, which is at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

I’m Vicki Peel, former home economics teacher and educational administrator. If you are not receiving my emails, coupons, and freebies, look for the Subscribe block (below right) and submit your contact information. I will not share your information with anyone, and all the content you will receive as part of our community is free. I may occasionally promote someone else’s paid content, offer a product for your consideration or share an item that I think might be of use to you. However, you are under no obligation to purchase anything – ever. So, sign up now so you won’t miss anything!

https://HERLifeHacks.com

 

What Feelings Does Your Home evoke?

What Feelings Does Your Home evoke?

Does your home evoke “a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being”?

In other words, is your home a haven from the chaos of the world, a place that nourishes your soul and uplifts your spirit?

If so, your home has hygge!

What is Hygge?

And your first response may be “what the heck is hygge”? (It’s pronounced “Hoo-gah”, by the way. I know – how can something spelled like that be pronounced “Hoo-gah”!?)

“Hygge… is a Scandinavian way of life that celebrates coziness, shared meals, and companionable interactions with loved ones. Emphasizing warmth, kinship, and an appreciation for the little things, hygge is a perspective on life that started in Denmark and has contributed to the nation's consistently high happiness ratings. Now, Americans are turning to hygge as a way to find happiness from within.”    ~ Brinton Parker, (December 10, 2019),11 Ways to embrace the hygge lifestyle this season. PopSugar

Hygge is a great way to embrace self-care that extends to all family members. Think about all the things you love about your home and the things you like to do there that provide that much-needed extra layer of comfort.

How to Get Hygge

While there many ways to create hygge in your home, here are a few ways my home has hygge, supporting and comforting me:

    • Time alone in the comfy leather chair in my office for journaling my thoughts and renewing myself spiritually
    • Sipping on a warm cup of cocoa with mini-marshmallows
    • Decorating my home with items of personal family memories (I’ll show you around sometime and point out all the “old things” that are so special to me!)
    • Watching HGTV – any shows on HGTV (personally, I love Ben and Erin on Home Town, among many others!)
    • Putting on an eye mask and listening to soothing music as I take a short afternoon nap
    • Curling up (OK – I mean metaphorically curling; it has been a long time since my knees allowed me to actually curl up!) with my iPad to play Candy Crush, Soda Crush, Spades and Castle. (I’m ashamed to tell you how high I’ve gotten on Candy Crush. I am working to curb my “addiction”.) And I love playing Sudoku and Kakuro. There is just something satisfying about being able to solve one of these puzzles.

Now, how about you? What makes your house hygge, even if you don’t call it that? How is your house a haven from the outside world. Comment or email me at vicki@herlifehacks.com and let me know one or two things on your hygge list

Want to know more about hygge? Here are links to a couple of resources about hygge.

The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living is a popular book about hygge. 

Coloring books are very comforting activities on the hygge list of a lot of people. Check out this hygge coloring book: Time To Hygge: A Joy & Happiness Coloring Book

Think about your home and hygge. Is it hygge in its current condition? What could you do to make it more calming and comforting?

 

 

Disclosure: My blog posts sometimes contain affiliate links. This means I earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase, which is at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

I’m Vicki Peel, former home economics teacher and educational administrator. If you are not receiving my emails, coupons, and freebies, look for the Subscribe block (below right) and submit your contact information. I will not share your information with anyone, and all the content you will receive as part of our community is free. I may occasionally promote someone else’s paid content, offer a product for your consideration or share an item that I think might be of use to you. However, you are under no obligation to purchase anything – ever. So, sign up now so you won’t miss anything!

https://HERLifeHacks.com

 

Taking Back Control of My House – Utility Room BEFORE

Taking Back Control of My House – Utility Room BEFORE

I am intentionally embarrassing myself with this post. Read on…

Even though I have some excuses – or rather explanations – I won’t list them here. This post starts a series of BEFORE videos and pictures of the condition of my house, which is basically a mess.

My plan for my messy house is to regain control by decluttering, cleaning, organizing and creating a system for maintaining by the end of 2022. And then sharing it all with you.

What you’re going to see is the worst of the worst place in my house. The utility room – where stuff goes to lanquish until I find a place for it. Where the door can be shut, and no one is allowed to enter.

Here is the BEFORE condition of my utility room. Pre-decluttering; pre-cleaning; pre-organizing; pre-establishment of a system for maintenance. Click on the image below and come on in! (The background music is incongruent with the current status of the room!)

 

utility room before

While this is an embarrassment, you won’t believe the transformation. Tune in later for the AFTER! I can’t wait to see it myself!

 

 

Disclosure: My blog posts sometimes contain affiliate links. This means I earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase, which is at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

I’m Vicki Peel, former home economics teacher and educational administrator. If you are not receiving my emails, coupons, and freebies, look for the Subscribe block (below right) and submit your contact information. I will not share your information with anyone, and all the content you will receive as part of our community is free. I may occasionally promote someone else’s paid content, offer a product for your consideration or share an item that I think might be of use to you. However, you are under no obligation to purchase anything – ever. So, sign up now so you won’t miss anything during our October through December focus on HOME: seasonal home decor and BEFORE and AFTER videos and pictures of me regaining control of my messy house!

https://HERLifeHacks.com