Day 11 of 31: Breaking Habits, part 1

Confession time: I am a piler.  

I make messy piles. I make pretty piles. I have piles in just about every room, except maybe in the half bath and guest bathrooms.

(Don't my piles look almost artistic when put in a collage?)

Most all of my piles are organized. I know what's there. I know where to find each item I might need. But they sure do make my home feel disorganized and messy.

And while I do like to make piles, I also like things to be tidy. Piles do not equal tidy. I was the one who did my homework on my bed, but my room had to be clean first or I couldn't concentrate.  So it's no surprise that piles make it difficult for me to get a lot accomplished at home. And it's hard to use any of the surfaces seen above. 

I live in fear right now of spilling my tea on my keyboard as I type...because I only showed you one side of my computer desk...surface area is scarce! And if I wanted to scrapbook today? It would be difficult to start without first spending a good 10-15 minutes cleaning up first.

Funny how piles pile up, right?

The collage above is only a small glimpse of my house this afternoon. There are many other piles I could include. (Including my kid's room, although those aren't my piles. Uh, oh. Looks like my problem is contagious.)

Let's take a tour, shall we?

Clockwise from the top-left:
1. Entry table: birthday presents from some friends for the two younger kids, leftover goodie bags from their party this past weekend, new jeans for N & some hand-me down ballet stuff for M to grow into, homeschool stuff to go downstairs.
2. Books, cookbooks, magazine, journal, art from my kids, and a candle on my nightstand.
3. My craft desk: leftover cupcake decor from party, label stickers, Studio Calico delivery, and Project Life album.
4. Cards from invitations, my Bible, a book I'm anxious to read, Operation Christmas Child info, Sunday School papers, and some homeschool related papers on the computer desk.
5. Neatly folded towels. Whew. But they're still on the dining room table. Since Monday.
6. A clean pile of clothes I must put away soon. (Two weeks worth.) On top of a box of items to give away in our bedroom.

It should be simple to keep up with piles.

I tried to employ the "one-touch rule" with our family. You know, if you put something right away, you only have to touch it once. (Saves time, saves nagging, etc.) And it worked well for the adults...for awhile. I think it's time to bring it back into play, because almost all of the items above have a home. Honestly, the only things I don't know what to do with are the presents, but I'm sure I can find a place in the basement until tomorrow and next Saturday when they'll be opened.

So my goal over the next week is to do away with my piles. Or at least make some of them simpler and prettier. I don't mind a pretty stack of books on my nightstand. Or a pile of towels...in the linen closet.

So I'm off. To do a little last-minute birthday shopping this afternoon...but only after I clear off the pile in my entryway! And next Thursday, we will see how my de-piling is going!

What habits do you need to work on to make your house more homelike?


~This is Day 11 of 31 Days. You can find all posts in the series here 31 Days of Making this House our Home.