An unexpected result of my bathroom painting project has been making small changes to some of the routines I’ve developed over the past 4 years. None of these routines were bad. They were efficient, habitual ways I’ve been completing everyday tasks.
But, during the project, some of these had to be adjusted to accommodate for wet paint, unusable areas of the house, etc.
The first change was moving where I get dressed. For the past 4 years, I got dressed and undressed in my master bathroom. I kept my workout clothes and my swim gear in there. I hang my worn, but clean clothes in there as well. It was somewhat unsightly, but since it’s only me and the dogs who see it, who cares?
During the painting project, I shifted to getting dressed in in my walk-in closet. The closet is huge for me – it’s like an 8’x5′ room with plenty of space. After a few days, I realized it’s a much better place to store my workout and swim gear too. After all…it’s a closet. I have dozens of empty hangers, an entirely empty clothes rod and room to spare for dressing.
The second change was moving the table by my front door. This table holds a lamp, an Alexa device and is the drop-off point for my glasses, dog leashes, mail and anything I am carrying into the house. It was positioned directly under a wall mounted shelf with hooks I use for the leashes. I moved this table further away from the front door when I was painting it. It turned out to be a much better location because it freed up more space under the shelf for the leashes.
The third change was reorganizing a shelf in my garage. Every few months I get up on my ladder and move things around up there. It’s where I store my power tools, my painting supplies, a few pieces of wood, my emergency lights, my tire inflator and some other utility gear. After rummaging around to access my drop cloths, I decided to pull everything off the shelf and rearrange it. I had two half-full storage containers and a third that was so full I couldn’t close the lid. After pulling everything off the shelf, I was able to consolidate some of the boxes, throw aways so old plastic tarps I no longer need, and move a few items into more accessible spaces.
None of these changes are mind-blowing…other than, possibly mind-blowingly boring for you to read. But, these are all things that impact me on a daily basis. It’s small changes like these that make a big deal in life satisfaction for me. I keep relearning this lesson.
I am going to examine all of my daily routines to see where else small changes might make a big difference.