By: Holly Bayer, ASID
Once again, it is January; the month when many of us make a resolution to accomplish any number of things which would make us a better person. When February is knocking at the door will we still be standing in the same habits, our lofty aspirations a silly, convoluted idea?
I hope not, but it truly depends on what the goal is and whether it’s attainable. Life moves very fast. 21st century fast! As a result, many of us feel blindsided as though it would take a shift in the universe to gain control of our cluttered, disorganized lives, much less achieve a New Year’s Resolution. The most common goals come as no surprise and are often repeated from one year to the next:
• Lose weight
• Get Organized
• Reduce Stress
As is typically the case, these seemingly unrelated topics have a powerful impact on one another. In a recent U.S. News report, studies show that those who sleep better, are significantly more successful in their weight loss efforts.
Why don’t we just all go to bed a little earlier then? It’s not that simple, we say. There are errands to run, programs to watch on TV, work that didn’t get done earlier, crying babies…not to mention the laundry basket of unfolded clothes on the bed, preventing any of us from getting under the covers!
In my ten years of residential interior design, I can tell you this: there is a laundry basket in every bedroom of every home I’ve ever been invited into. This, in my mind, signals an epidemic.
Your bedroom is the room you spend more time in than any other. If it’s working properly, it welcomes you in, offers respite, and sends you out on your merry way come morning. It should be the room you begin with if you’re going to resolve to change anything. Armed with six to eight hours of sound sleep, you will not only regain valuable energy but the goals you’ve made for yourself in 2012 will seem that much simpler to attain. Move the laundry basket! Sort the clothes! Organize the closet (sometimes the most daunting task and the one we will work on tackling together)! Happiness begins in a restful, work-free bedroom.