
“Getting organized” can start to seem like a pretty daunting task after a while, can’t it? Whether it’s a New Year’s resolution or simply a goal you’ve set for yourself, any attempt to get organized and clean up the house can start to look much bigger than you initially expected.
But there’s no need to despair! Instead of feeling like you’re overwhelmed, why not try breaking everything down into smaller chunks? By spending a little time here and there to help get things clean, you can start to see big progress over a shorter amount of time
and reduce the amount of effort you have to put in overall! Here’s a few things you can do to clean up your house taking only a little time every night, and watch as the results pile up:
Start That Big Project: This might sound like it goes against what we just said about taking a little time, but hear us out. A lot of people have cleaning projects in the back of their mind that they want to do but never get around to, but chipping away at them slowly can do a lot to help you feel productive and reduce your stress about cleaning. Figure out what your biggest project is - cleaning the paperwork out of your home office, taking care of that pile of dirty clothes, putting up those new
decorative shelves, and so on - and devote a little time to it every night. You’ll be surprised how fast it looks like you’re making progress!
Declutter For Twenty Minutes: If you don’t have any big projects, or if your big projects or major remodeling projects that you can’t really handle like that, you can still set a little time every day to get something little done. Set a timer on your phone for twenty minutes (or ten minutes a day twice a day, if you prefer) and tackle the small things that always need to get done. Wipe down your counters, clean out the fridge, pick up the kids’ toys, or do whatever still needs to get finished around the house at the same set blocks of time every day. You’ll be happy you got in the habit, and the results will be pretty immediate.
Make To-Do Lists For Each Room: For those of you who like making lists and seeing your progress, this can be a perfect solution to both tracking your efforts and seeing how far you’ve come. Sit down and write some lists of everything that has to happen in each room of your house, from repeated chores (like doing the dishes or vacuuming) to the bigger stuff (organizing the attic, rearranging the
living room furniture, and so on) so you can throw a little time at it here and there every day and make sure it all gets done as you’re able to do it!
Learn To Get Rid Of Things: We know how hard this can be, but an easy way to feel like you’re cleaning up around the house is to learn how to declutter and get rid of stuff you don’t need anymore. Get some baskets or
plastic bins and whenever you find something you don’t want, like clothes, old kids’ toys, electronics you’ll never use again, or whatever, throw them into one of those bins to be disposed of later. Even if this is the only step on this list you take, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how fast it can start to make a difference.
These are just a few steps to get you started, but they should get you where you need to go and the results should be almost immediate! Trust us, after a few weeks of getting in the habit you’ll be glad you did it!