Clean House!

I know most people recommend cleaning-house with the proverbial "spring cleaning", but I personally think the beginning of the new year is a great time to clean out your crowded closets, corners, and cabinets. You've probably promised yourself that you'll eat better, exercise more, or try to have a more positive attitude (or something like that) when you created your resolutions for 2009. But it's nearly impossible to successfully alter your lifestyle if your home doesn't promote healthy, harmonious living.

1. One room a day. Choose a room (or closet) and make it your goal to spend even just 10 minutes to organize, straighten, and throw out what you do not need or use regularly. Remember, you don't necessarily have to throw things out - you can donate or recycle them, instead!

2. Beautiful or Functional? If you do not use it or do not find it beautiful or feel that it enhances your life, GET RID OF IT! We fill our homes and our lives with so much unnecessary clutter. Try to progress with an objective mind and remember, you'll feel so much better when you're clutter-free!

3.Rearrange and Change. Don't be afraid to move things around. Sometimes, we live with a certain setup for so long, we forget that we have the option of changing things around! Rearrange your living room furniture if the traffic-flow doesn't feel right, add more lighting if a certain room always feels too dark, or hang up curtains or blinds in front of the window that gets direct sunlight. These small changes greatly improve your quality of life.

4. Organization Stations. Oftentimes, clutter accumulates because we don't have logical places for things. If mail piles up on the kitchen table, create a mail-bin or filing system to organize it. If keys get tossed haphazardly, hang up key hooks near the door.

Try to observe your home (and lifestyle) as if you were an outsider. In general, do things seem logical, organized, harmonious? If not, ask yourself why. Often, the solutions are simpler (and much less expensive) than you might have originally thought!

For more information about Cailen Ascher Design or my upcoming book, Well-Designed Living, visit www.CailenAscher.bravehost.com or email CailenAscher@gmail.com.