I am listening to a book called Look Again by Tali Sharot and Cass R. Sunstein about habituation – how “getting used to things” dulls our enthusiasm, our creativity and our enjoyment. This really resonates with me. I’m a person who hates to do the same thing every day when it comes to my job. I move my laptop around the office, around the house and even outside so I can work in different areas. I like reading about the science behind why we need to create small changes for ourselves. Humans can get used to almost anything and that’s not necessarily a good thing.
Our only child left for her first year of college this year. I haven’t adjusted to the empty house as fast as I hoped I would. A few nights a week, I think about what to cook for dinner and then I remember that it’s just two of us. We have family coming over this week for a long weekend. It forced me to rearrange and clean Sylvia’s bedroom. Hot tip: if you miss your college kid, trying cleaning their room. The nostalgia fades. Moving furniture around pleases me even more than moving locations with my laptop. Just the act of cleaning and moving things helped get me out of my state of mild numbness. I’ve got the windows open and the doors to her room open now and it gives me a good feeling.
If you’re in a funk about your own home, try moving some furniture around this weekend. Or, if you’re able, move things out and see the space with fewer things in it. You can always move it back. Remember the old show Trading Spaces? That could be fun to try with a friend except you can only move furniture and objects around – no paint or remodeling. The part of they show where they painted the other couples entire room and furniture black (or something like that) always stressed me out.
“If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary.” — Jim Rohn
The Colorado Nest 
Great article on how small changes can revitalize a home! It’s amazing how simple updates can make a big difference in enhancing the look and feel of a space. A perfect reminder that home improvement doesn’t always require major renovations