I don’t know about you, but I tend to react poorly to words like “vision board” or “describe your vision.”  It’s no secret that I love Mari Kondo and (mostly) stick to her rules, but the first time I read her book and did my festival of tidying I skipped the vision portion.

This picture perfectly encompasses the “feel” I want for my home.

I am uniquely unable to visualize (like, I don’t think in pictures, which is 100% fine I didn’t realize it wasn’t normal until maybe 5 years ago) but I don’t think that’s the reason.  I think it’s the phrase “what’s your vision?”  I don’t freaking know.  And I don’t think people who see pictures in their brains always know either.

What I came to realize is the much more applicable questions are “how do you want to feel in your home (or in various different places in your home)?”  Or, if you want to stick with a visual theme, “how do you want your life to look?”  If you ask me how I want my life to look I can answer you right away.  I know that I want spaces free of clutter but with lots of soft cushions and pillows and blankets.  I want walls of books and cups of pens and pencils in all the places I may need them.  I want lots of light.  I can feel how cozy it would be to sit in my comfy chair with a soft blanket and a book.  There is a birdfeeder out the window, a cat watching the bird, and a dog (or three) at my feet.  I want to walk into my kitchen and see clutter free countertops, walk to my tea kettle and brew a cup of tea.  I want to cuddle up on a cozy sectional on weekend evenings and watch movies with my family.  I want chores and unpleasant tasks to be quick and easy because everything is easy to find and placed where it is most needed.

And yes, this is also easier because I have (mostly) realized this vision in my own home.  But I could have told you most of that even long before, I just needed the right questions.

So how do you want your life to feel?  What do you want it to look like?  And how can you get there?  (I can help with that last part).