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Inside: My 2 favorite housework tips that will keep your house organized and clutter-free all week long. Who doesn’t need cleaning tips and tricks?
“Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing. ” ~ Phyllis Diller, Phyllis Diller’s Housekeeping Hints, 1966
A while back I read and loved “The Happiness Project” by Gretchin Rubin.
This book was full of insightful and useful information. It included so many bite-size pieces of practical advice that have the power to change your life (and maybe even save your marriage.)
Let me explain:
As I look around my house I’m overwhelmed!
Dirty dishes are piled in the sink, toys are literally EVERYWHERE, the withering plants are begging for water, I swear I could make a sweater out of the tumbleweeds of dog hair, my wrinkled work clothes are still in the dryer, and my hall closet is empty because my coats are strewn about the house.
And here’s the worst part:
I’m fighting with my entire family because I’m consumed by the stress of not being able to keep up.
How did this happen?
One minute my house is clean and organized and I turn my back for one second and it seems a bomb exploded.
Well, no more!
I’m going to give you two of the best housework tips from The Happiness Project that have saved my life.
must have
The 2 Best Housework Tips To Keep Your House Clutter-Free All Week Long
1. Housework Tip #1: The minute rule
I have a secret.
Shhhh, it’s a secret that the readers of the Happiness Project and I are benefiting from.
If you can do something in under a minute then do it.
For instance, when you get home and take off your coat, your first reaction might be to throw it over the banister or lay it on the bench by the front door.
But here’s the thing:
To hang it up would take less than one minute, so hang it up.
Dinner has finished and you place the dirty plates in the sink.
Why are you doing this?
It would take under one minute to put them in the dishwasher. So do it.
It’s simple.
All I have to do is look at my family member and say, “One-minute rule” and they know what I’m talking about. They usually stop whatever it is there are doing, like throwing their dirty socks on the floor, not putting away their backpack or leaving their toys strewn on the flow and rethink their steps. The backpack can be hung on the hook and the socks thrown in the laundry basket.
Without the need for constant nagging, we all know that one simple sentence means we need to be mindful of our actions.
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2. Housework Tip #2 – The ten-minute bedtime rule
This one is also so easy, yet so effective, why wouldn’t you do it?
Everyone in the house takes 10 minutes to do a quick overall clean up before bed.
Is there laundry to fold or put away, do you need to tidy up the washrooms, kitchen or make lunches?
The ten-minute rule allows you to tidy up things that may have fallen through the one-minute rule routine or to complete chores that take more than a minute.
If everyone in the house participates it can be a fun way to connect and keep the house tidy.
By practicing these two simple techniques, your house won’t ever get to an overwhelming state.
Of course, you still need to mop, vacuum and do all these duties that require more time, but you won’t be spending two hours tidying up beforehand.
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Honestly, these two housework tips have changed my life. I used to feel completely stressed out every minute about the state of my house. I was taking it out on my family. Flying off the handle over every little thing.
It was inappropriate and now I no longer do that. My stress levels are under control.
For more awesome household management tips:
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I guess I’m one of the lucky people whose mom taught us to be organized and see what needed to be done. We were farm people, and our day revolved around weather patterns, necessary tasks, and long-term planning. Common sense, and paying attention… opening our eyes to see what was important to tackle now, and what could wait was taught. And it was about discipline too. There are just some things that we must do, like it or not.
It’s a gift to our children to help them learn to open their eyes, organize and prioritize in every day life. It really helps to insure they’ll tap into common sense living.
I agree its all about a little common sense and avoiding procrastination. That’s great that you’re teaching your children these skills, it is unfortunately not always taught in many households.
It is also a little bit about doing the things that we ‘must’ do like it or not.
I’m always looking for ways to manage the demands of a career and the household, being a bit of a clean freak 😉 I find it very hard sometimes.
I could not agree more. I often procrastinate and end up spending hours on tasks that could have been done in less than 10 mins.
I know, I can’t believe how all those little tasks add up to an entire day of cleaning and tidying. I also find when it gets too messy that it effects my stress levels, I start thinking about what’s waiting for me when I get home from work. Sometimes it seems like a never ending battle, especially with two big, shedding dogs :)But lately I have been winning!
I’ve recently been trying to get myself more organised, when it comes to house work. It seems to be working quite well up to now. I made myself a whole schedule. Not giving myself too much to do, otherwise I will get overwhelmed and there are other things to do as well as house work. I’ve added the book you recommended to my ‘to-read’ list. Sounds inspiring. 🙂
I’ve heard of this book! I must read it now! Thanks for sharing.