If you always do (this) your life will be so much easier!

[kbutton]

i run circuits.  eg.  we hang dry all of our laundry.  i hand carry three or four items to the line outside.  i bring in three or four items and put them away.  while i am in the bedrooms, i pick up any stray glasses etc and take them to the kitchen.  and , oh look, the washing machine lid is open, i must be hanging up laundry.  i take 3-4 more items out, hang them up, bring more in, etc, etc.  at the end of 20 minutes, everything is hung up, everything dry is put away, all the glasses are out of the bedrooms.  i tried for 30 years to do it the way i thought it "should be done"... wet laundry in laundry basket out to the line, dry laundry in laundry basket back in to the house, things folded and put away, but i failed completely on the last step.  this way is better.  

 

 

I try to do this kind of thing with laundry sometimes (I do my laundry in one day, not a load per day). It's extra exercise too. It's so much more likely to be put away if I carry it down the hall in my hands instead of in a basket. Kind of like how forgetting to take bags to Aldi means the groceries get put away right away. ;-)

 

[kbutton]

A travel "always":  Unpack your suitcase right away! and put the clothes in drawers and closet, toiletries in bathroom.  And when you get home, unpack *right away* and put the stuff where it goes and the suitcases away.  

 

I was reminded that I *always* do this when I didn't have shampoo in the shower this morning--because I *didn't* do it last night.  Grr.  

 

The other "always" that has helped me a lot is to think through a series of questions before I buy something:

1.  Where's it gonna go?

2.  What's there now?

3.  Where are you going to put THAT?

4.  How often do you have to clean this? 

5.  Oh...never mind (walks away).

 

Honestly, it has saved me a ton of money and has helped a lot with getting my personal clutter down to half of what it was a year ago.  The same cannot be said for others in my family.  Alas. 

 

Yes, we think about that when we buy stuff (usually, lol!). Buy clear containers that stack easily for storage. It helps to see what is in the box, and we found that we had MANY more places to put things when we finally started to buy suitable containers. We were afraid that buying more containers meant we'd clutter more, but it's actually made it much easier to use what we already have.

 

Travel suggestion--if we're going by car, and we are going to be gone multiple days to multiple locations, we keep all toiletries or "daily items" (cell phone chargers, etc.) in an old, small diaper bag (the ones that formula companies give out). We try to pack a day's worth of clothes for the whole family into one backpack/duffle bag (or into a larger bag/carry-on type of suitcase if it's for a couple of days only). If you don't fill the outside pockets on backpacks, you can shove a ton of them into the trunk upright. Dirty clothes get rolled or folded and put back into the bag. If something doesn't get worn (or can be worn again), it'll squeeze in with clean items for another day. Even if you choose to bring everything into the hotel each night, you don't need to unpack or repack much of anything. If you have to repack mid-trip (laundry stop at a friend's house or something), it's pretty easy.

 

[Clear Creek]

Before lunch and supper my kids have to have the living room, dining room, and hallway tidied up. Those are the areas that can be seen when someone walks through the front door. This keeps the main areas manageable (the mess rarely gets out of control) and presentable if someone stops by unexpectedly. Every single time I call them for a meal, I preface it with the instruction to clean those three areas...with food as the motivation, it gets done very quickly.

[Guest]

Yes, we think about that when we buy stuff (usually, lol!). Buy clear containers that stack easily for storage. It helps to see what is in the box, and we found that we had MANY more places to put things when we finally started to buy suitable containers. We were afraid that buying more containers meant we'd clutter more, but it's actually made it much easier to use what we already have.

 

Travel suggestion--if we're going by car, and we are going to be gone multiple days to multiple locations, we keep all toiletries or "daily items" (cell phone chargers, etc.) in an old, small diaper bag (the ones that formula companies give out). We try to pack a day's worth of clothes for the whole family into one backpack/duffle bag (or into a larger bag/carry-on type of suitcase if it's for a couple of days only). If you don't fill the outside pockets on backpacks, you can shove a ton of them into the trunk upright. Dirty clothes get rolled or folded and put back into the bag. If something doesn't get worn (or can be worn again), it'll squeeze in with clean items for another day. Even if you choose to bring everything into the hotel each night, you don't need to unpack or repack much of anything. If you have to repack mid-trip (laundry stop at a friend's house or something), it's pretty easy.

 

 

We do something similar.  I wasn't very clear, was I, that I meant for an extended stay in a single hotel?  Sigh.  We've pretty much gone to the method you suggest for the one-night stays, though.  :0)

[kbutton]

We do something similar.  I wasn't very clear, was I, that I meant for an extended stay in a single hotel?  Sigh.  We've pretty much gone to the method you suggest for the one-night stays, though.  :0)

 

Yeah, your idea made me think of what we do. I was trying to specific so that I didn't sound like I was dissin' your idea. :-) We rarely get to do extended stay trips--even our first big vacation in forever that we have coming up involves day trips and some overnights in another location, lol.

 

[DragonFaerie]

Well, I've been doing a lot of reading on building habits.  One thing that comes up over and over again is that it's easier to add habits onto already existing habits.  Adding a link to the chain.  So yes, having coffee counts because you can add a new habit to it.

 

Every time I drink my first cup of coffee, I will... check/water the plants, read a chapter of a book for self-ed, toss in a load of laundry.  Whatever you want to add to your day to help make your life easier or help you accomplish something you've been "meaning to do someday". KWIM?

 

So pay attention to your existing habits (eating meals, drinking morning coffee, evening walk etc.) and add a small something at the beginning or end to help make your day smoother.

 

This definitely makes it easy to start doing something new.  I started making my bed every morning while I brush my teeth, now both things get done every day without fail.

[Belacqua]

This definitely makes it easy to start doing something new.  I started making my bed every morning while I brush my teeth, now both things get done every day without fail.

 

Pure curiosity here: how do you do that? I'd either hurt myself, get toothpaste all over the duvet, or both.

[DragonFaerie]

Pure curiosity here: how do you do that? I'd either hurt myself, get toothpaste all over the duvet, or both.

 

I brush as I walk back and forth around the bed, pull and tug with one hand when I can, hold the toothbrush in my mouth if I need two hands.  I can pick up pillows and put them in place and things like that with one hand. Drooling is not usually an issue. ;-)

[fraidycat]

You gals are awesome. I appreciate all the ideas.

[inmyopinion]

It's such a little thing...but, having my coffee pot filled & ready to turn on in the morning is my one 'must'. Sounds silly when I type it here. ;)

Silly? No, this is brilliant!! 

[laughing lioness]

Dh and I always make the bed in the a.m.

I always brush in the .am. and p.m. dh flosses religiously but he's had some teeth issues. I floss religiously about twice a year. 

I clean the kitchen every morning. kids and I clean it mid-day, too. I try to clean it before bed but it depends on the day. 

boys switch around laundry. I fold and then we always put it away right away. 

Collect any dishes throughout the house in the a.m.

Sort mail immediately and compost junk immediately. 

Sort school stuff - sell twice a year, compost workbooks, give away as soon as we are done with it. 

Sort kids clothes and gift immediately once they've outgrown. 

Family planning meeting with everyone Sun afternoon or Monday a.m. before people leave. 

[PrairieSong]

Time yourself doing a chore that you dread...cleaning the bathroom, mopping the floor, whatever. It probably takes a lot less time than you think. Next time you dread doing it, you can tell yourself, it only takes X minutes.

 

If a room is a total disaster, put a timer on and work on it as quickly as you can for 15 minutes or whatever amount of time works for you. If the family can help you, all the better. We used to do this when I had a lot of littles, homeschooled the older ones, and the toddlers destroyed the basement (where we did the bulk of our school work). It's amazing what a few people can accomplish in a short, focused time.

 

Declutter ruthlessly. This is ongoing for us.

[ThisIsTheDay]

Time yourself doing a chore that you dread...cleaning the bathroom, mopping the floor, whatever. It probably takes a lot less time than you think. Next time you dread doing it, you can tell yourself, it only takes X minutes.

 

This is SO true!  I did this years ago, timed myself emptying the dishwasher.  Ever since then, I have told myself, "It'll be over in five minutes!"  And I tell my kids the same thing, "It will only take you 5 minutes!"  It's never been quite as awful since.  :)

[Kelly1730]

Yep, a full bathroom cleaning really only takes me about 15-20 minutes. At least that's what I tell myself :tongue_smilie:.

[Sun]

I keep a scrubby sponge (one with a sponge side and a scrubby side) in the shower. Every few days, I squirt a little of a disliked shampoo or body wash (I keep a small bottle of it in there for this purpose) on the sponge and give the walls and floor a quick scrub. I also had a hand shower installed, which makes rinsing the shower much easier. Before the hand shower went in, I kept a plastic cup in there with the sponge and icky shampoo. I find that cleaning the shower this way makes it much, much easier for me. I don't have to climb in fully dressed and try not to get wet, and by doing it a few times a week, it never gets very dirty, and the cleaning goes much faster.

 

Get a good vacuum. We finally got a canister vacuum for the main floor, and it is so much easier than our upright that I can't believe it. The end of the canister vac slides easily under furniture to get lurking dust monsters, and I can just plop that same end on the upholstered furniture and give it a quick once-over to remove pet fur. That's a lot easier than having to pull the hose out of the upright and find the right attachment to do that. I also find that I do the stairs way more often because I'm not trying to lug the heavy upright up the stairs and trying to keep it balanced so it won't fall on top of me!

 

Try to notice one neglected thing every day and take it on. It might be a drawer that needs to be cleaned out or an area that needs cleaning. I usually take a wastebasket and a bag for donations over to where I'm going to work. Most of these projects take me 10 or 20 minutes, but they make a huge difference in my outlook on life and my house.

 

Keep a "donate" bag or box going at all times. I find it handy to keep it near the laundry, so I can throw outgrown clothing in it right as I pull it out of the dryer. Some people drop those bags off as soon as they get full; I prefer to gather up 5 or 6 and then call for a donation pick-up. Having a pick-up time scheduled inspires me to do even more decluttering, and that always makes me feel better and the house look better!

[Sun]

Please share your daily bathroom cleaning ritual. Thanks.

 

 

I'm not Lynn, but I can tell you mine, which is about 5 minutes, if that!

 

First I cleaned the bathroom the normal way. The next day, I took time to look critically at it and see what already made it look not as clean. That helped me decide what I needed to do daily. It may vary for you, but for me, I needed to vacuum the floor and dust the surfaces because we have a carpet that sheds like crazy.

 

My daily routine:

1. Vacuum the floor QUICKLY. I'm not aiming for perfection. I focus on the areas that accumulate hair and dust, but I try to more-or-less cover most of the floor. I use a dustbuster that I keep under the sink. (30 seconds)

 

2. Swish the toilet with a tiny squirt of body wash or shampoo. We always seem to have ones no one likes, and I use them for cleaning. DON'T FLUSH. (15 seconds)

 

3. Spray toilet rim and seat with cleaner. I keep it under the sink for this purpose. Wipe it off with toilet paper. Drop toilet paper in toilet and flush. (30 seconds)

 

4. Put a small drop of body wash in the sink. Wet a sponge, and use the body wash to quickly scrub the sink. If you really do it every day, it takes no time at all. (30 seconds--at most!)

 

5. Use a rag and your spray cleanser to wipe off the counters. Use the damp rag to polish the faucet and handles. Glance around for any other places that need wiping (for example, in one bathroom, I always have to wipe under the hand towel because it gets spotty really fast). (60 seconds, half of which is putting away stuff that shouldn't be on the counter)

 

6. Use your body wash-covered sponge, to give the tub and shower walls a quick scrub. Rinse. (I keep a cup under the sink for this purpose in one bathroom; the other has a hand shower, which makes it even easier.) (90 seconds)

 

7. Use the damp rag from step 5 to wipe the edge of the tub and polish its faucet and handles. (30 seconds)

 

8. DONE!

 

In the bathroom I use in the morning, I skip step 6 and just do it a few times a week while I'm in the shower.