A good life is a busy life, with everyone in the house having things to do that they are passionate about. Who wants to spend every other possible minute cleaning, decluttering, or organizing the house?
If we can get to the point where cleaning and even decluttering is easier and more efficient, then everyone wins!
If vacuuming, for example, takes over an hour because you need to move a billion things around, then vacuuming is not an easy job. The outcomes are that you will either procrastinate and not do it, or it will take so long that it will interfere with your ability to get other things done, or be able to attend that school assembly or that early hockey game.
So the goal isn’t really to clean constantly. It’s to be able to clean easily.
Wiping a table, let’s say. Wiping a table after dinner should be quick and easy. Again though, if you have a bunch of clutter on the table, it becomes hard to wipe the table clean of food spills when you have to work around a bunch of stuff that doesn’t even belong on the table!
The best way to make cleaning easier is to have less stuff and to have stuff in its home. If everything was always where it’s supposed to be, then nothing needs to be left out or it can be quickly put away because you don’t need to create a plan or make a decision about where it should go.
The more time you can spend on determining an exact home for your items, the easier it will be to both tidy and clean!
Spend some time every day to clear table tops, counter tops, and stuff off the floor! Even if you’re tired, even if you really want to have fun instead, even when you are sick – take at least a few minutes, pick one area and make it a goal to keep it clear of clutter.
To help you challenge yourself about some of the clutter that stands between you and your cleaning duties, pick one space that will become your clutter free zone. Make sure that at the end of the day, that area is completely 100% free of clutter. See how easy it is to actually clean that area thoroughly. Let it shine and sparkle as you wipe and dry.
As you master keeping that space clutter free, try adding another space!
Each week, add one area to your clutter free zone. By the end of a month, see if it all feels more realistic to keep those areas clutter free.
Don’t start getting overwhelmed yet. Take micro steps. There’s no need to rush through every space. The first space you pick could be as small as the bottom step of the stairs. Ensure that at bedtime, there is nothing on that step. Add another step only when you are ready to. You don’t want to add too much work to your load too quickly, make it small enough, or slow enough progress that it makes you feel like you are being successful. The worst is to think, ‘This one step was easy. Let’s do the whole stairs!’ Then a night goes by when there’s too much on the stairs, so you let the work slide for a day or two. Now, it’s suddenly too hard to manage!
The real success is in those micro steps! AND practicing keeping that small space clutter free every single day.
Pick your starting area. See how far you can get before another week goes by.
Pick your spot and get moving.
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