If our homes are our castles, why do so many of us feel that ours have been invaded by marauding bands of clutter causing intruders? Does your home make you feel welcome when you enter the front door, or tense, as you view the hundreds of reminders of tasks that you have not had time to complete?
Maintaining the organization and character of a home takes work, and not many of us have the time that our mothers and grandmothers did to keep it spotless and inviting.
The solution? Finding shortcuts that actually work, and devoting small amounts of time to the home everyday. The best resource I have found on the web for tackling your overwhelming home responsibilities by using these two pieces of wisdom is the Fly Lady. I suggest visiting this site, and signing up as a “FlyBaby” today – you will receive daily emails that will help guide you to a simple routine that will help you stay on top of the mess so that it never becomes overwhelming again. You will start by shining your sink, and take “babysteps” until your whole home sparkles.
Here is the Busy Mom’s site “laundry list” for making sure that your home stays your castle:
• Don’t be afraid to ask your kids to pick up their messes! I suggest establishing a routine of picking up 10 minutes before bed every night.
• Set up an established place for mail when first brought in, and file it the next day it arrives.
• Every day, take a few minutes to attack the key clutter gathering areas of your home. Don’t worry if you don’t finish: just be consistent.
• Dishes that are done right after a meal are a lot easier to clean than dishes left to sit for a few days.
• Only wash as much laundry as you can fold right away – clean laundry left to sit in piles too long creates wrinkles that cannot be ironed out, and is a form of clutter itself.
• Throw away mail order catalogs that you are not going to order from right away. You know they will send you another one, and probably before you are ready for one.
• Make sure coats and shoes get placed in the coat closet when kids enter the door. If you don’t have a coat closet, we suggest investing in a hall tree.
• As soon as you have listened to or watched them, place CDs and DVDs back in their cases.
A house is no different that any other ongoing project, if you stay on top of it, it takes less time than if you let it get behind.
