Now, I'm not expert. Nor am I the most organized person in the world, but we can all strive for greatness right? Recently I've been trying to get and stay organized. I've decided it's time to take control of my surroundings and keep myself accountable. That doesn't mean there aren't a few junk drawers (or even some junk cabinets) but I will tell you that these five tips have kept me sane when it comes to cleaning & organizing:
Everything in it's place -
This was the biggest realization for me...and while you may think this is a duh statement imagine this: You've only been living a life of dorm rooms and communal apartments where your bedroom acts as a studio, lounge, sleeping quarters, study room, escape, movie theatre, craft storage, closet, etc. With one room housing so much and doing so much I found that there wasn't really a place for everything I owned. Now that Zach & I have a place that is distinctly ours - we share the remote so it can have a place in the coffee table with also share in the living room we also share - it's easier to have a place for everything because I'm not encroaching on anyone else's space. So the point of this is to clear out the places serving double duty & only keep the thing that belongs there, there. Create a clear space for something and that is where it lives. For example when the remote is taken out of the coffee table drawer there is a space where it is missing from. If you can clearly see that space, good job...it now has a home.
Clean one thing a day -
I used to do all my cleaning on the weekend because when I got home from work I was too exhausted to do anything else. But then I realized I wasn't getting anything done on the weekends because I was cleaning all day. Also, if we went a way for a weekend there would be two weeks worth to clean. And I wasn't enjoying my time home because the house was a mess. I resolved to clean one thing a day after work during the week. I broke the house down into 4 zones - the downstairs, the bathrooms, the kitchen/dinning area, & the bedrooms. I clean one of these areas each night of the week in a solid rotation and usually spend 30min to 1 hour cleaning (usually it's the 30 min). If something needs a deeper clean it's reserved for a larger house goal that I add to my 4 simple goals or if I'm feeling particularly cleany I'll just spend a little more time on it. Now I'm more productive on the weekends and can enjoy a cleaner house during the week.
Make a list -
I have the chore list I mentioned above but I also have a greater house goals list that I add to every time I think of something. This list lives in my planner and while there are important things on there I don't hold myself to some lofty goal of crossing them all off. I add to this list so I can pull from it for my two house goals in my 4 simple monthly goals. It's also there so I can keep a running list of what really needs to be done so I can plan or arrange when needed. Mental lists never work for me so this big list is there for me to pick from and I don't expect lines through every one of the items.
Don't focus on what you haven't done -
Try not to think about the huge mess you have to tackle in the fridge while your working on tidying the living room. For me, those things aren't even on the same day so there's no need to even think about it! The biggest stress reliever for me is focusing on the chore at hand. I don't make the big lists so I can think about all the stuff that needs to get done, I make the lists so the chores sit there & not in my head. For me the most important things to get cleaned in the living room and the bedroom and I only think about their mess when I'm in that zone on that day. If I'm dreading what I have to do I won't do anything. So just don't focus on how big the house or chores are as a whole only focus on the small chore at hand.
Don't beat yourself up -
So you've made a list but haven't checked anything off and you've divided your house to clean one thing a night but you missed the kitchen last week. Thats fine, you're human. Resolve to be better next week. For me, if I miss the kitchen this week I do it next week. Now you can't miss the kitchen every week, what would be the point of having this list if you didn't do it, right? So I just do the chore I missed the next week. I don't hate myself for it nor do I punish myself for it by doubling up the next day. Sometimes things come up. I also don't put house cleaning above family time or social engagements. If we got to eat on Wednesday with a friend and I can't clean the kitchen, no stress there is always next week. If Zach has had a particularly rough week and I can't clean the bedroom Thursday because he's sleeping, no stress there is always next week. To me, keeping organized isn't about stressing yourself out it's about giving you less to be stressed about by giving your a plan of action to keep you sane. Don't beat yourself up if something doesn't work for you....it took me nearly 27 years to figure out what works for me. :) And I'm sure if/when we move into a new house I'll have to adapt.
The biggest thing in my organization journey is realizing how much less stress I feel when I can sit down in a clean, organized living room. If I miss a day the mess stresses me out so the biggest reward is not stressing! I tend to stay on track because I don't want to look at the mess I didn't clean up! These are just 5 things I keep in mind when organizing and cleaning my home.
What are your tips for organizing your home?
xoxo, Moe
I used to do all my cleaning on the weekend because when I got home from work I was too exhausted to do anything else. But then I realized I wasn't getting anything done on the weekends because I was cleaning all day. Also, if we went a way for a weekend there would be two weeks worth to clean. And I wasn't enjoying my time home because the house was a mess. I resolved to clean one thing a day after work during the week. I broke the house down into 4 zones - the downstairs, the bathrooms, the kitchen/dinning area, & the bedrooms. I clean one of these areas each night of the week in a solid rotation and usually spend 30min to 1 hour cleaning (usually it's the 30 min). If something needs a deeper clean it's reserved for a larger house goal that I add to my 4 simple goals or if I'm feeling particularly cleany I'll just spend a little more time on it. Now I'm more productive on the weekends and can enjoy a cleaner house during the week.
Make a list -
I have the chore list I mentioned above but I also have a greater house goals list that I add to every time I think of something. This list lives in my planner and while there are important things on there I don't hold myself to some lofty goal of crossing them all off. I add to this list so I can pull from it for my two house goals in my 4 simple monthly goals. It's also there so I can keep a running list of what really needs to be done so I can plan or arrange when needed. Mental lists never work for me so this big list is there for me to pick from and I don't expect lines through every one of the items.
Don't focus on what you haven't done -
Try not to think about the huge mess you have to tackle in the fridge while your working on tidying the living room. For me, those things aren't even on the same day so there's no need to even think about it! The biggest stress reliever for me is focusing on the chore at hand. I don't make the big lists so I can think about all the stuff that needs to get done, I make the lists so the chores sit there & not in my head. For me the most important things to get cleaned in the living room and the bedroom and I only think about their mess when I'm in that zone on that day. If I'm dreading what I have to do I won't do anything. So just don't focus on how big the house or chores are as a whole only focus on the small chore at hand.
Don't beat yourself up -
So you've made a list but haven't checked anything off and you've divided your house to clean one thing a night but you missed the kitchen last week. Thats fine, you're human. Resolve to be better next week. For me, if I miss the kitchen this week I do it next week. Now you can't miss the kitchen every week, what would be the point of having this list if you didn't do it, right? So I just do the chore I missed the next week. I don't hate myself for it nor do I punish myself for it by doubling up the next day. Sometimes things come up. I also don't put house cleaning above family time or social engagements. If we got to eat on Wednesday with a friend and I can't clean the kitchen, no stress there is always next week. If Zach has had a particularly rough week and I can't clean the bedroom Thursday because he's sleeping, no stress there is always next week. To me, keeping organized isn't about stressing yourself out it's about giving you less to be stressed about by giving your a plan of action to keep you sane. Don't beat yourself up if something doesn't work for you....it took me nearly 27 years to figure out what works for me. :) And I'm sure if/when we move into a new house I'll have to adapt.
The biggest thing in my organization journey is realizing how much less stress I feel when I can sit down in a clean, organized living room. If I miss a day the mess stresses me out so the biggest reward is not stressing! I tend to stay on track because I don't want to look at the mess I didn't clean up! These are just 5 things I keep in mind when organizing and cleaning my home.
What are your tips for organizing your home?
xoxo, Moe
Your post is perfect image to keep their home clean for long time.
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