Building New Habits
Clutter does not have to become a way of life. Some basic lifestyle changes will help you keep your house from getting out of hand. These changes aren’t too hard. They are also good candidates for a New Years’ resolution, if you need one. But you don’t have to wait till the New Year to start. Any Monday is a good time, just like Monday is a good time to start a diet. The point is to start. Here is a new routine that should help keep the clutter down in your home.
To get into a new habit takes a while. If you are trying to break a bad habit, it helps to replace that bad habit with a good habit. You have to do a new activity or action for 40 days consistently before it starts to feel natural. That’s why some people try to give up a bad habit during the 40 days of Lent. By the time that season is over, an old habit has less of a hold on you. You don’t need to make decluttering a part of your religion, however. Just choose a length of time to really stick to your new habits. One month is a good beginning. And hopefully a new habit has taken its place.
Reward yourself for sticking to your new routine by doing something nice for yourself when you are successful. You don’t really have to be 100% successful for the entire 40 days before you get a reward, also. And you don’t have to be perfect in your new routine to get a reward. You only have to do better.
Rewards can be something as tiny as a cookie and a cup of coffee during a break, or something as big as that new piece of furniture you’ve wanted at the end of a successful 40 days of following this routine. But if you buy something to bring into your house, be sure you have a space for it. Shelves and cabinets of some sort are a great reward, and help to keep you clutter-free, as well.
A new routine
The rule to your new routine is to put things away, right after you use them. Sounds simple, doesn’t it. But if it was simple, you would have been doing it all along, and the clutter wouldn’t have built up in your house.
The first thing to do each day is make your bed. If your bed is made, the majority of your bedroom will look cleaned and tidied. I know you don’t want to, but do it anyway. You’ll be happier with the way your house looks in the long run. And remember, it takes a while to build new habits. Next, pile those dirty clothes lying on the bedroom floor into you laundry hamper. Yes, they are supposed to be in the hamper already, but they just don’t always make it there. Not to worry. Just take your filled laundry hamper with its dirty clothing into your laundry room or area, start a load, and shut the door. Your floor in the bedroom is probably clear now. If not, finish putting shoes, etc. in the closet and shut that door, as well. If this sounds like to much to deal with first thing in the morning, put your clothes in the hamper at night before bed, and put your shoes in the closet, as well. This whole activity doesn’t really take that long, and your bedroom looks clean as a result.
The next rooms a person tends to go to is the bathroom. Once you are done with your daily hygiene routine, take a minute or two to put those items back where they belong. Makeup can go back in the drawer, and other hygiene items back in the medicine cabinet.
Next, grab those dirty clothes and towels and put them in the hamper. Your next decision will be about whether or not you have time to wipe surfaces down and/or wipe off the mirror. Those disinfecting wipes you can buy at the local grocery store are great for this. You now have clean, disinfected surfaces in the bathroom. You might need to save cleaning the mirror for later. But definitely be sure there is not left over toothpaste spit into your sink. It sets up like concrete and is much harder to clean later. But for now, you have a clear floor and the surfaces of your bathroom are uncluttered. Close the shower door or curtain to hide any issues there.
Kitchen Clutter
First, get that cup of coffee or tea started. While it brews, make your breakfast. Once you are done eating, clean up after yourself. Do it right away, don’t put it off. Dishes go in the dishwasher. You can put dishes in the sink only if you don’t have a dishwasher. Rinse them off first, of course. Take a moment to clear counter surfaces of any clutter that might have accumulated. Take a moment to put breakfast items away, coffee containers up, and cereal away. Any other dirty dishes you’ve made or found can go in the dishwasher, as well. If you don’t have a dishwasher, wash the dishes you created right away. Leave them in the sink in a drainer to dry. By this point, most of us will need to be on our way to work or school. Be proud, because you haven’t let daily household clutter win today.
