Efficiency is a word we use a lot day-to-day. We might be in the office, discussing recent figures and figuring out ways to be smarter with resources; we might be in the car, thinking about ways to pump up the miles per gallon. But we rarely apply the word to home, in its truest sense.
Efficiency is a powerful thing, and something that can give us a great deal of our own time and resources back. But somehow, there’s a mental block when it comes to applying efficiency to home life – outside of obligatory concerns like energy tariffs and chore distribution. What if there was something more fundamental about efficiency, that we could bring on board and apply to the home in a way that lifted, figuratively speaking, all ships?
What Makes a Home Feel Efficient
Well, before we look at specifics let’s imagine what efficiency could actually mean for the home. As explored in our introductory paragraphs, we often think of efficiency purely as cost efficiency; we think about fuel, bills, the rate at which we burn through washing powder. But efficiency is far more than this; far broader.
A home feels efficient when everyday tasks happen without unnecessary effort. That is, the natural course of ‘doing things’ around the house feels natural and predictable, as opposed to abrasive and frustrating. This usually comes down not to costs, expenditures or prices, but rather to how well a space – and its features – has been thought through.
Where Inefficiencies Often Appear
So, knowing what could lead to an efficient home, what is it that makes a home inefficient to begin with? In a word: obstruction. Most homes develop small inefficiencies over time, and largely without people within the household noticing at all. Doors stick; sofas drift; coffee tables get in the way; storage is a faff to access.
These are all small things, but they are small things that demand more effort than they should. These are issues that build up over time, and which can have serious impacts on comfort, mood and wider mental wellbeing. If your home doesn’t feel like it has your back, surely something should change?
Improving How You Move Through Your Home
And this is where the meat of the matter is: change. There are myriad ways, big and small, in which you can improve the motive feng shui of your spaces. One big way, that is practically guaranteed to have slipped your radar, is replacing your garage doors with smoother, modern variants. It’s an afterthought of a job, bottom of the list – but how many times have you caught your shin on the garage door this year?
Naturally, the same thinking should dictate your approach within your home. What things can you replace, or remove, to improve your movement from room to room? What stud walls can come down, and what layouts will better benefit you day to day?
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