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Throw that sticky food wrapper
straight into the trash. Don't lay it on the counter to make
another mess that needs to be wiped up later.
Don't lay that dirty spoon on
the counter. Rinse it and put it in the sink or dishwasher.
As you're undressing, don't
throw your dirty clothes on the floor or on the furniture. While
they are still in your hand, put them in the hamper or if they're
still clean, hang them up.
Keep the hamper close to where
you undress at night. If it is convenient, you will be more likely
to use it.
Before you leave the bathroom,
hang your wet towel on the rod. Don't drop it on the floor or
leave it in a pile.
3. Think ahead.
What are you having for dinner?
Are the kid’s papers signed
and ready for school?
What clothes are you wearing
tomorrow?
4. Never, Never Procrastinate.
Keep straightening things all the time. For example, when you
put away groceries and you see that the cans of soup have fallen
over, take two seconds to re-stack them.
When you put linens or clothes
in their drawers, make sure everything in those drawers is neatly
stacked.
Pick up as you go. Each time
you walk through a room, pick up something.
Stop thinking about it! Just
do it.
Train family members to rinse
their own dishes and stack them in the sink (or better yet to
put them directly into the dishwasher). It may take a while to
develop this habit. For kids, you may want to do something like
charge each member a dime for every dish not rinsed or make them
responsible for doing all the dishes for a week.
Remember Thomas Edison? What
if he had given up after his first 5, 10, or 100 light bulbs?
Where would we be now if he had thrown up his hands and quit
at his first failures? The same is true with getting and staying
organized. Keep practicing and you will create a productive new
habit.
6. Attitude, Attitude, Attitude.
Stop dreading taking care of
your home and start taking pride and pleasure in it. Think of
an organized home as a special gift of peace and pleasure that
you are giving your family. A disorganized one causes turmoil
and frustration. Besides -- You probably spend more time worrying
about it than it would take to clean it.
7. Use rooms for their intended
purposes.
Don't let kids get undressed in the family room - that's why
they have bedrooms.
Eat food at the kitchen table
or bar, not in bed. This alone can save a huge number of messes.
Fold laundry in the laundry
room immediately after taking it out of the dryer and put it
away immediately.
8. Be a wise steward of your
time.
If you see something that needs to be clean, clean it as soon
as possible.
If something doesn't need to
be cleaned, don't waste your time. If there is no dust, don't
just dust because you dust every Saturday.
Don't overbook yourself volunteering
at schools, churches or charities. Learn to say "no".
Notice that I didn't say don’t do these things at all, just
control how much you do so they don't take over your life.
Don't overbook your children
with their activities, either.
Get rid of fruitless activities.
Many of us spend way too much time talking on the phone, watching
TV, shopping unnecessarily or killing time on the computer. These
are all time robbers when you devote a lot of time to them.
9. Keep on top of things.
If you do small cleanings every day, you'd be surprised how much
you can accomplish. In ten minute increments, you can do each
of the following: wash the dishes, vacuum, file a pile of papers
or clean your purse. It shouldn't take more than ten minutes
for each child to pick up his room before bed and to lay out
his clothes for the morning.
Don't let the laundry, dishes,
toys and paperwork get out of control. |
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