Utilizing This Time.

Many of us are having to rethink ways to use our days productively, with all of this time at home! The afternoon and evening hours that are usually filled with activities outside of the home are now replaced with a seemingly unlimited amount of free time – I think God is telling us to soak up all of this time. If you’re like me, you have a giant to-do list that has sat around forever….and now it staring you in the face. Here are some of my ideas of projects to tackle around your home, while you have the time. Might as well make your house even more of a sanctuary, even more comfortable and cozy. It makes these days go by much more smoothly, in my opinion.

1. Go through your closets. This is one area in most of our homes that has likely been begging for some attention for quite a while! Unfortunately, closets are far too easy to close the door on and leave for “another day.” My clients often tell me this is some of the most stressful part of packing, when they are selling their home. I would encourage you all to take this extra time at home to purge and clean out those spaces! Start by taking everything out and dusting each shelf, as well as vacuuming or sweeping the floors. Then decide on a system that makes sense to you for organization. Sort your items either by season, by color, or by frequency that they are worn. Make a pile of any items you are willing to part with along the way. Starting your day by opening a clean and organized closet is well worth the effort this takes!
2. Update your framed pictures. If you’re like me, framed pictures are scattered throughout your home as a daily reminder of the bond of family and the memories you have made together. However, most of those pictures have not been updated since the day they were hung on the wall! Consider looking through your favorite pictures and order a few new prints to update your frames – I need to print off the recent photos of my daughter’s wedding last year, to grace my walls. This is an inexpensive and meaningful way to freshen up your decorations, as well as celebrate the special moments you have shared with loved ones.
3. Clean your outdoor furniture. As the weather warms and beckons us all outside, now is a wonderful time to prep your outdoor furniture for the coming summer! This furniture could be the backdrop of many wonderful moments this summer: a place to sit as you grill out, a retreat for quiet morning coffee, or the perfect spot to settle in for some afternoon reading. Regardless of how you use it, take this opportunity to prepare your outdoor space for comfortable use, and you will not regret it.
4. Plan a special dinner “just because.” This is a more unique project, but such a fun way to celebrate gathering and enjoying your family in this season. Pick a random weeknight and pull out your nice dinnerware that is reserved for special occasions (or if you’re like me, you haven’t used in years!). Light some candles, pick a bouquet of flowers for your centerpiece, and select some quality music to set the tone. If you enjoy cooking, consider picking an ethnic cuisine to treat the family! Whether you decide to do a four-course French dinner, or a more family-style Greek spread, a themed meal is a great way to make an evening feel special. And if you’re not the cooking type, there is no shame in ordering takeout and preparing a brownie mix for dessert! The little details will likely be forgotten anyways, and you will simply remember that you were together and you were loving it.
5. Touch up your baseboards. Baseboard are one area of the home that are most quickly overlooked but are also most heavily used. They not only collect dust quickly, but they also take on the wear and tear of shoes and furniture on a daily basis. Show them some love by taking a cloth and some cleaning solution to them. If you happen to have an extra can of the paint, go back over the most discolored places. It is amazing what a fresh white baseboard can do for the entire room!

These are just a start to the many ways this time at home can be redeemed to get ahead of the smaller household projects. As rewarding as it is to use your spare time productively, don’t forget to also take some of this extra free time to simply relax and enjoy time with the others under your roof. Although I’m sure I’m not alone in looking forward to getting back into “normal life,” I hope we can all enjoy the beauty of this unique time at home.