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Organizing your new normal

By Julie Stobbe / May 26, 2020 /

These times of living with the pandemic have shown us that material possessions are not as important as we thought. Having lots of possessions is not creating happiness and contentment. It is a good time to examine what parts of your life bring you satisfaction while staying at home.

Routines

More time is being spent at home and fewer activities take you away from your house. Everyone can help with work around the house. Things can get done quickly if everyone knows the routines.

Meal preparation takes time and is a constant consideration. How have you handled this task?

Consider what will work for you:

Giving everyone 1 meal/week to make. It doesn’t have to be complicated, older children can help younger children.
Give everyone some responsibility for the meal – meal preparation, meal preparation assistant, cleaning up the food from the table, putting leftovers away, doing the dishes. Rotate the jobs each day or week.

Keeping the house clean with everyone home all day takes more time. Consider:

A quick clean up after supper, tidying things up to their correct place, sweep/mop/vacuum the major travelled and used spaces.
Set up a cleaning schedule so everyone has a job to do to get the home cleaned. Divide up dusting, washing floors, vacuuming, wiping down surfaces. Pick a day when it needs to be done and they can pick the best time to do it.

There may be less dirty clothing around the home since people are inside more and doing less. It is a good time to establish a laundry routine. Consider what is best for you:

Doing one load a day
Teaching everyone to do their own laundry
Setting one day to do laundry

Now is a good time to evaluate what new routines are working well, which ones need to be revised and what needs to be established to keep the home working well. When the pandemic is over keep reinforcing the newly established routines for the new times ahead.

Possessions

Shopping is down, clothing store sales dropped 78.8%. Electronics and appliances declined by 60.6% furniture and home furnishing sales dropped by 58.7% and sporting goods by 38%. Source

Homes are filled with many things. This time is a good opportunity to explore some of the things you own and see if they add value to your life. It will help you know what you need and what you don’t need anymore.

Explore new activities to fill your time. Introduce health and wellness activities, learn new skills and participate in outdoor activities that can replace shopping. The pandemic is reinforcing that having an overabundance of stuff doesn’t bring contentment. It is possible to live without shopping. Think about how you will control what comes into your home after the pandemic is over. Do you have a new normal? What if everything you wanted isn't what you want now? Share on X

Priorities

I wasn’t sure what to call this section. It could be titled time management, relationships or activities. Before the pandemic would you focus on:

meeting deadlines over playtime
being perfect over enjoyment
an advancement over vacation time
answering text messages over your sanity

During the pandemic, it is possible to have time for things other than work. Learn how to balance all the priorities, relationships and activities you have experienced. Don’t let all this learning about the type of life you want to have to get swept out of your reach when life changes again after the pandemic is over.

Do you have a new normal?

What if everything you ever wanted isn’t what you actually want?

In 2010, Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus both abandoned the majority of their material possessions and created TheMinimalists.com. In 2011, they walked away from successful six-figure careers to live more intentionally. Then, in 2012, they moved to Montana and started writing a book Everything That Remains . Remember to minimize once you’re finished—pass it on, donate it, or sell it.

Minimalism is all about living with less. This includes fewer financial burdens such as debt and unnecessary expenses. … For many minimalists, the philosophy is about getting rid of excess stuff and living a life based on experiences rather than worldly possessions.

In the comments share what the pandemic has taught you.

Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She enjoys working with her clients to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She reduces clutter, streamlines processes and manages time to help her clients be more effective in reaching their goals. Julie can coach you to break-free of the physical or emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms.