Is an Evening Tidy Ritual a necessary part of a chic life? It needn’t be.
But a chic life is an organized life.
By ‘organized’ I don’t mean uptight, perfectionistic, or regimented. I don’t mean boring or cheerless. By ‘organized’ I mean calm and ordered; self-possessed, elegant, and serene.
So much of being chic is psychological. It’s at the heart of that je ne sais quoi for which French women are envied, the charm and grace for which Audrey Hepburn is beloved. It’s what makes a stylish woman bien dans sa peau – comfortable in her own skin. It comes from the inside out.
So much of being chic is psychological. It’s at the heart of that ‘je ne sais quoi’ for which French women are envied. It comes from the inside out.
Inner Chic, Outer Chic
To enjoy psychological calm it helps to have calm in the physical world around you. Even if there is clutter and disorganisation in your home, you can still create an oasis of peace and control that will help you feel more organized and chic. All you need is an evening tidy ritual, a set of quick tidying and organising tasks at the end of the day.
Your evening tidy ritual will help you feel peaceful when you go to bed at night. You might even smile to yourself as you look around and turn out the light.
It will buoy your mood when you wake in the morning. Clear surfaces, a feeling of order, and coffee… Is there a better way to start the day?
And these steps will only take you about 10 minutes each evening. They aren’t onerous, require little thought, and can even be something you come to enjoy – if not the steps themselves, then the wonderful feeling that comes after you’ve completed them.
Okay, ready?
Even if there is clutter and disorganisation in your home, you can still create an oasis of peace and control that will help you feel more organized and chic.
Your Evening Tidy Ritual
Step 1. Toys and Activities
Gather up any toys and activities from the living area and put them into a storage bin. It’s a good idea to have large storage bins in the kids’ rooms so toys can easily be packed up and removed from living areas at the end of play time.
Step 2. Kitchen Surfaces
Remove items from kitchen surfaces. Put things back in drawers, place homework on kids’ desks, return pantry items to their shelves. Wipe down the surfaces and sinks so everything looks clean and neat.
Step 3. Living Area
Put away clothes, remotes, bags, and other items strewn across sofas, coffee tables, side tables. This will become even easier if you get into the habit of putting your things away when you come home.
Step 4. Floor
Run a cordless vac over high-traffic and dining areas. Don’t pretend you’re working a crime scene – this should take only a couple of minutes.
Quick And Chic Evening Tidy Ritual
Your evening tidy ritual isn’t meant to be a deep clean or major declutter. The focus is to return things to their places and clear surfaces, quickly and smartly. This will give your home a feeling of space and order and will feel comforting.
If you then sit down to read or watch TV, you’ll also be able to peek at your living areas and enjoy how much nicer everything looks. Calm, organised, chic.
Will you try this evening tidy ritual?
The focus is to return things to their places and clear surfaces, quickly and smartly.
Your Chic Life Assignment For Week 11
- Review the 4 steps in my Evening Tidy Ritual – which ones apply to you? Do you need to add or remove steps?
- Design your personal quick and chic Evening Tidy Ritual. Focus on the few steps that will make the most difference in your home looking and feeling ordered and elegant. Don’t aim for perfection – aim for an improvement.
This post is part of my 12-Week Series: 12 Ways To Live A Chic Life.
You can receive the weekly posts direct to your inbox by signing up for A Chic Life updates here.
Click the SAVE button to PIN for later!
