Time and life are moving so fast these days, I can’t believe the end of February is here. After a gap, I’m back and coming to you with TWO posts centered around the power of progress at home.
My last post discussed embracing the in-progress and a couple of years ago I wrote about celebrating small wins. Celebrating the small is incredibly powerful. Physiologically, it stimulates the release of dopamine, a feel-good neurotransmitter that boosts our mood and motivation. Each win is a mark of progress, so when we acknowledge a win we feel happy, we embrace the progress made, and we gain momentum to continue the journey forward. (Interested in more? Dr. Teresa M. Amabile discusses the self-reinforcing benefits of the progress loop in her article, “The Power of Small Wins”.)
I’m happily nerding out on the science because it validates what I believe — drawer-by-drawer, practice makes progress and the subsequent natural feel-good response we get from celebrating the progress keeps the practice going.
Seeing the power of progress in action is probably the only thing I could nerd out about even more, so let’s get into some real-life small wins courtesy of my sweet friend, Sarah. The space that sparked her momentum is worth a deeper dive, so be sure to check back on the blog for that post next!
celebrating sarah's wins
Before January’s end, I took a much overdue break and spent an amazing 5 days visiting my dear friend, Sarah. We hadn’t seen each other in almost six years but it was like we’d never been apart.
During those years, Sarah and her family lived in three states and turned (at least) twice as many houses into homes. With two littles and each new home being different from the last, it sure wasn’t easy. But each and every time, Sarah embraced the progress. From drawers and cupboards to whole rooms, she made each home function for how they needed it to at that time.
She’s been in her current house for almost six months and is feeling good about settling in for real.
One of her home’s challenges is limited closet space throughout. Instead, she has an abundance of drawers and cupboards, so we talked about working with the space she has and creative ways to maximize its potential. Aside from taking things one drawer at a time, my friend had all the know-how she needed to go for it...and she did! Here’s a before and after reel of the small but mighty transformations she accomplished all on her own since I left:
I+D Tip #1: Repurpose small boxes to contain bathroom drawer clutter.
I+D Tip #2: Compartmentalize your cupboard with bins. Keeps hard to fold and like items together.
I+D Tip #3: Furniture is made to move around until it makes sense for your space.
(This tall, dark ladder bookcase dominated the primary bedroom as it was the first thing you saw entering the room. We relocated it to an awkward unused nook next to the bed and rearranged the contents to display a mix of books and sentimental pieces they love.)
My girl's on a roll! I'm super excited about her journey and I hope this snippet inspires you to do a drawer or two to see how it makes you feel. Take it from us, it'll be more than worthwhile. And if you want even more inspo, read how transforming Sarah’s bedroom closet made all of the above happen. Putting love into your space IS self-care — it's a practice, not a perfect and it will pay you back in the most amazing ways. I hope you make time to try it out for yourself.
Always,
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