Turning Down the Noise

On my morning walk, I listened to a podcast that unpacked something called “house hushing”.

The practice entails selecting a room in your home that you want to look and feel better.?

You start by emptying all of the non-essentials out of the space, leaving only the big pieces (furniture, rugs, etc.).?

Next, you live in the simplified space a bit and experience the “quieter” atmosphere.

Finally, you add back an item at a time ONLY IF it enhances the space. Anything that doesn’t add value, stays out.

After debating which room I’d “hush” first in my own house, I began to wonder where else we might apply this concept in our lives and work.

Many of us live in a regular state of overwhelm. Clutter and hurry are the norm.

What if we began to do some clearing out so that we could consider what- and how much- should be added back in?

The “house hushing” expert mentioned two areas of learning as they examined their own spaces: QUANTITY and SCALE.

While comparing their own room to serene versions on Pinterest, they counted the number of items in the featured spaces and discovered that theirs contained TWICE AS MANY ITEMS.

Where are you doing too much? Offering too many options? Making too many commitments?

The homeowner also noticed their items were often much SMALLER. Instead of a single statement piece of decor, they chose groupings of petite pieces.

Where are you choosing more over better? Are there places in your life where one significant investment would pay greater dividends than a handful of smaller ones?

I don’t know if I’ll be hushing my house, but I’ll definitely be evaluating the “noise” in my work, relationships, finances, health and soul.

How about you?