If your anything like you me you would love to stop cleaning up after your life and start living it! You know, all the day to day tasks that distract you from the things that truly matter. I finally stopped the hustle and found some useful everyday tips to help keep my days smooth and my house clean. While there are many things that are not included in this post like “how to get your husband to do the laundry 😊” I found that these simple practices have really improved my days.
In addition to these practical tips an overall goal that has helped me in the last few years is living a minimalistic lifestyle. It goes without saying that the less you have the less you have to clean. When you only have the things that you either truly need or truly love, the less time you will have to spend managing, organizing, and decluttering throughout your day. Physical clutter leads to mental clutter too! And who has any extra brain cells left for mental clutter? Not me! I know however that minimalism takes time, so here are some additional tips that you can start today that should help lessen the load.
Tip 1 – Never leave a room without an item.
Do a quick scan of the room before you leave and always take something with you. In any given room there will be something that does not belong there, and that needs to go where you are going. I have made it an unconscious habit to pick up anything in the room that doesn’t belong.
For instance, you walk into your bedroom to put away laundry. You see a water glass on your nightstand from the night before, and dirty socks on the floor. Grab the glass and drop the socks in the hamper. Take the glass to the kitchen and put it in the sink or dishwasher. Before you walk out of the kitchen, scan it for anything doesn’t belong. Do not ever leave a room without something in your hand.
This works even when you are not in cleaning mode. In the evening when I am binge watching Gilmore Girls and get up to grab a snack I scan the living room before heading to the kitchen and grab my kids sippy cup that she left on the floor.
Tip 2 – Make the clean thing the easy thing.
Instead of trying to change the people and their habits in your home try changing the system instead. Make the clean thing the easy thoughtless action. That way there is far less nagging and it becomes an unconscious change. An example of this is if there is a corner in the room that the laundry always piles up place the hamper in that exact place.
Think about the areas of your house where clutter and/or dirt just build up and come up with easy solutions that will make it a no-brainer to tackle them as you go. Another example of this is placing a trash can in the garage directly next to your car door. This way it is not a chore to simply grab any garbage in your car and immediately throw it away.
Tip 3 – Pair a good (cleaning) action with an everyday habit.
There is significant research regarding pairing a new habit that you would like to adopt with a habit that you already have. An example of this that I started was putting a load of laundry to wash immediately after I pushed my coffee maker on in the morning. I would even make it a game seeing if I could get back before my coffee was done pouring. Another example is, I have started cleaning the bathroom when I am giving the kids a bath. I am already there anyways so I just keep my supplies handy and do a quick wipe down while watching the kids.
I hope these tips help you as much as they have helped me.
Best,
Lindsey