Ep. #011 - EHAP & Creating Inner Calm

Subtle Resistance

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Ep. #011 - EHAP & Creating Inner Calm

I don't feel like I can function at productive levels when the clutter is shouting at me from every surface. (11 min.)

April Edwards

Oct 10, 2024

Transcript

I have a productivity tip that is disguised as a homemaking routine that will make a big impact on your daily life and the peace that you feel in your home.

EHAP = Everything Has A Place

This means that when you organize your home everything has somewhere that it belongs that is not sitting out in your way. It also means that everything you own can go back to where it should go after use.

About once a week, usually on Saturday, I get this urge to clear all the surfaces and start fresh for the week. (When we have more people in the house or our days are extra busy I have to EHAP several afternoons a week.)

This looks like me declaring to my family that stuff needs to be put away and then I go into declutter and cleaning mode. We have lots of horizontal surfaces in our downstairs living room and kitchen that tend to collect stuff through out the week.

This is fine during the week when we are busy with school, work, and all the activities, but by Saturday the accumulation and collected mess gets to me.

I have a very practical home. It is decorated and organized but above all it is functional. and I don't feel like I can function at productive levels when the clutter is shouting at me from every surface. If I get an Amazon box and I have no where to set it down to open it. (other than the floor) that bothers me. I believe that counters, tables, and usable surfaces should be available and ready for use.

A recent Substack post I wrote is called: Counter Clutter: The Invisible Enemy of My Productivity

In this post I shared:

what my childhood kitchen looked like with a Dad as a professional chef and a mom who is a minimalist
how in my 20's I decided to only clean the kitchen when I felt like it
my lightbulb moment when I was going through a big declutter
realizing my blank slate gave me freedom to enjoy my kitchen

Clear surfaces make space for stuff to happen but they also provide white space a somewhere for the eyes to rest.

It is a resistance against the idea that every area must be filled with stuff that we have spent money on. It is creating visual boundaries in the areas of our home where we want to relax.

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