Every January I feel the sense of a brand new clean chance to start over. I know that it is just a mindset. I mean, we can start over any day and time of the year we want. It’s just that the beginning of a new year feels like being reborn somehow.
I know that after all my Christmas décor has been removed, I get excited to clean and reorganize. I don’t know about you, but I feel so good when I come home to clean home at the end of my 9 to 5 day. Let me show you my simple techniques to the easiest way to organize and simplify your life this year.
After posting my cleaning chart last week, I may have discouraged some of you with my lengthy list. This is the list I work from daily, but it is meant to be a guide to help you pick and choose what items you will do that day. Try to keep your list to fit a 30 minute a day schedule. 😉 I have been doing this for so long that it has become second nature or a learned habit to my day. I have to confess that my windows do not get cleaned every day, but I do make sure that they get washed at least twice a month. ☺
One of the most important things you can do to organize your home is to purge or declutter. I know that those words can put anxiety and angst in the hearts of many, but if you really want to take control of your life you must control your… stuff!
You do not need to hold onto so much clutter to be happy. In fact, it’s just the opposite! A home that is stuffed to the gills is a stressor. Coming home or waking up to a clean, well-organized home feels so liberating. I always feel my happiest when my home is “company-ready,” even when no one is planning to stop by.
The hardest part is starting. Put a start date on your calendar and just do it! Five days a week – so your weekends can be used for fun stuff. If you have years of piled up stuff, working 30 minutes a day will have your home looking so much better in no time at all. Set your timer for 30 minutes. When the timer goes off, you are done for the day!
Does everything in your house have a home or are you a master of disguise (piling papers and junk mail in baskets, bins, or garbage bags)? It is so important to have a place for everything. If you don’t, then that’s how you know that you have too much stuff! A home bursting at the seams is not only unsafe, it is unhealthy!
One of my most favorite helpful hints is to take a basket of some kind (I use a clothes basket) and go room to room filling the basket with things that do not belong in that particular room (i.e. socks in the living room). Once you have taken out what doesn’t belong, put those things where they do belong. Do this until you have emptied your basket. I like to play games with myself to see if I can beat my best time. I also like to put on music and dance while I do my “chores.”
I don’t really believe in “resolutions,” but I do believe in finding ways to improve myself. I think we can all be better humans don’t you?
So, this year I will find ways to simplify (my new mantra) my life. Simple clean eating, simple and clear-cut daily routines, simplifying emotions (no daily news programs or taking on other people’s “drama” that is not meant for me). Sounds so simple, but is so…not.
This year, I also plan to have simple fun! Going on picnics in the backyard, staying up late to look at the stars, sleeping in on the weekends, listening quietly during a thunderstorm, calling instead of texting, getting out the “good” china just because it’s Wednesday. Simple, inexpensive, fun…stuff!
I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this article, the easiest way to organize and simplify your life this year. I am always ready to try new ideas. ☺
– Danielle
