You're Surprised to Find Only Me

Striped sweater: Gap, thrifted * Shorts: Gap jeans, thrifted, DIY * Tights: Hue * Socks: American Apparel * Boots: Target * Yellow scarf: Christmas present from roomie * Gray scarf: c/o Affordable Scarves

I think I may have been inspired by Kyla this weekend. Between the maxi skirt and jean shorts, styled for winter, I've been seriously channeling my inner Blue Collar Catwalk. And I like it! This outfit is one of my favorite winter weekend outfits, partly because it feels so casual and thrown together, yet totally cozy. And I love how these pictures turned out, too. It was so gray out when I was taking them, and I feel like I am almost absorbed into the wintry January palette.

One thing that I do now, everyday, to keep my life in order and my head more clear, is clean my room. I used to be (up until this July, quite literally) the kind of person with crap strewn everywhere. I consistently had piles of both clean and dirty clothes somewhere in my room (let's be honest, they were almost always on the floor), and I don't think I ever made my bed, except for when I put clean sheets on it. It wasn't really for lack of wanting to be clean. I'm just type A enough that organization simply thrills me, but there has always been something about my room that beckons me to chaos. However, since moving in July, I have found myself with a much smaller space. Were I to leave it in the state that I've left my bedrooms in the past, I have the distinct feeling that the disorder would gnaw at me, and make me feel not at home in the very place I should feel most comfortable. So now I make my bed, every morning. Everything has a place, and I make sure that it gets there. I never go to bed without the closet door and all the dresser drawers closed, and shoes are allowed nowhere but the shoe rack. It's a bit of a change, but it helps.

I'm a firm believer in weird little organizational things like that. It gives control and focus to one part of life. And, for me, while a clean bedroom has little to no impact on my daily life and routine, a messy one can throw a wrench in the day, from sabotaging outfit choices to putting my mind in a decidedly disheveled state. Granted, I'm also one of those people that needs the volume on any device to be set at an even number or multiple of 5, so my opinions on this topic may be skewed. Nonetheless, it makes a difference. It's hard to tackle the big, or little, hurdles of the day if I've started off feeling unbalanced. It's easier for me to prioritize, set goals, and feel motivated, creative, and in control, if I've taken the time to clean and control my space. I don't know, though. Maybe I should learn to let go...

Do any of you clean your rooms or make your bed everyday? Why? Why not? (Yes, I just wrote a whole post about cleaning my bedroom. What can I say? It's Wednesday.)

Title song: Neko Case, "Make Your Bed"