We are always looking for “magic pills” to do something we can’t seem to do,such as a magic pill for weight loss,or keeping the house clean. I wrote a few weeks ago over on my other site, Living the Balanced Life,a post called THE best organizational tool ever. While not a magic pill,it can work wonders,if you give it a shot!
Today’s post is to tell you about another great household management,clutter minimizing tool.
This one is not a thing,but a habit you need to implement,and teach your family to do so as well.
Clean up as you go
Make cleaning up and putting the things used part of the activity. When you allot time,and work out your day,adding in the actual cleanup,while it may add a few moments to a task,can save you time in the future. Not really a magic pill,but a magic habit,that when used regularly,can make a big difference in the clutter level in your home.
Some examples:
* When you get ready to go to work,or out for the day,put away your makeup,your hairdryer,hang the towels,hang up any clothing you decided not to wear.
* Make your bed when you get out of it in the morning.
* When preparing a snack,put away all traces of the ingredients and preparation BEFORE eating the snack.
* When working on a craft project,put away all your tools and supplies when finished. (unless maybe you are blessed enough to have a designated space for ongoing projects!)
* When cooking dinner,clean as you go. And as part of having dinner,rinse all dishes and load the dishwasher before relaxing for the evening. You’ll be glad you did in the morning!
* Teach your children that playing with Lego’s or puzzles includes having to put things away when they are done playing. Same with the Barbies,lol!
Saving time and energy by doing it NOW
I had a great post on my site a few months ago and she talks about losing time in the future because of decisions we make now. It ties in to this topic and I thought you might be interested in reading it. Who is stealing your time?
This is something I struggle with on an ongoing basis. I have to MAKE myself put things away as I go. I was not taught to do so by my mother,so I struggled and didn’t teach my children very well either. If you struggle with this habit, I encourage you to start tomorrow with one area and make some changes. See how it makes you feel,and how your house looks because of it.
What area are you going to tackle first?
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This is something I was taught to do and as a child I hated it,so when I moved out on my own I rebelled and lived in a mess as a procrastinator and,well I was misersable and stressed all the time. Once I restarted picking up after myself and taking care of the stuff now that needed to be done,I have become a very low stress person for the first time in a long time! Do it right,do it now and you dont have to worry about doing it later!
I love that! Do it right,Do it now,and you don’t have to worry about it later! I’ll remember that as I am working to ingrain this habit in myself!
Bernice
This is how I was raised,too. But,boy,oh boy,is it a challenge to pass on to my kids the importance of cleaning as you go! Someday I’m sure it will click. Right?
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Excellent tips! I just tackled our master bedroom this morning,now that it’s spick and span I’m going to apply the “picking up as you go”concept…I was raised this way but I rebelled.
How many of us realize our Moms had it right when it comes to housework 
This is something I do and have forever been frustrated trying to get others in my home to do the same! Why don’t they do this too!:^)
I am a big believer in picking up as you go and putting things back where they came from (not near where they came from) when finished with an item. Getting my husband to do the same is a struggle,but I hope to get my 2 and 3 year olds to pick up as they go!
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