How Does It Happen?

I’m the type of person who is always on the move. Very rarely will you find me sitting down to relax on the couch or the bed. I genuinely enjoy having a clean house. And by clean, I don’t mean that the floors and bathrooms are scrubbed every single day; that’s not the kind of clean I’m referring to. I’m talking about a house that is orderly.

When the house is organized, and everything is in its designated place, a thorough deep cleaning once a week suffices.

A Clean House = Less Stress

Both Ryan and I feel significantly less stressed when our home is clean. It allows us to concentrate on what truly matters and the tasks that need attention.

Here’s How I Make It Happen:

As I mentioned, it doesn’t just happen by chance. I’ve adopted some effective habits and tricks that assist me in keeping my home “guest-ready” in roughly 10 minutes. I’ve compiled a list of these habits that help me the most in maintaining order, and I’m sharing them with you in the hope that they will be beneficial for you too!

1. Make Your Bed

This one is straightforward, yet many people overlook it. I include it first on the list because it’s the first thing you can do every day to start your day positively. This is a habit I inherited from my mother. I vividly recall her making her bed every single morning without fail.

Every. Single. Morning.

No matter what else was happening that day, her bed was always made! Fortunately, I followed her example and discovered that making my bed each morning instantly made my room look tidy.

So, give it a try. If you don’t already make your bed daily, make a point to start. Not only will it give you a sense of accomplishment for completing your first task of the day, but you’ll also feel great when you enter your room at night and it appears clean.

2. Use Baskets for Shoes, Toys, and Other Items

Let me tell you how much I adore baskets! I really love them! They make tidying up so much easier! Moreover, they keep “all the things” hidden from view.

Place a stylish basket under a bench for shoes, and you’ll eliminate those unsightly shoe piles in your entryway! Arrange a basket on a shelf for miscellaneous items, and there will be no need to see those items cluttering your kitchen counter. Baskets aren’t just decorative; they’re incredibly functional. I have baskets for shoes, toys, magazines, crafts, and more—you name it, I’ve got a basket for it!

I have a large round basket on a built-in shelf downstairs labeled “toys.” Every time I find a toy lying around, I toss it in the basket. At the end of the day, my kids go through it, claim what belongs to them, and take it where it should be.

Baskets make it easy for the kids to put items back where they belong. Keeping them clearly labeled helps the kids understand precisely where everything goes.

My older boys have become quite adept at using their baskets to keep things organized. They now automatically place their shoes in the basket when they come home without needing reminders. The younger ones still require some nudging, but they will get there with practice.

3. Put Things Away as Soon as You Come Home

You really have to be intentional about this one. It’s not as simple as it sounds.

You know how it goes… as soon as you walk in, everyone seems to need your attention, your phone starts ringing, and suddenly there are a million urgent tasks in the house. The items you brought home seem to find a permanent resting place on the kitchen island or entry table. I know; it happens to me sometimes, too.

However, I truly aim to focus on putting everything away right when I come home.

If I’m wearing a jacket, it goes in the coat closet. My purse hangs on a hook, my shoes go in a basket, and any trash I’ve brought in goes straight into the bin. If I’m carrying a pile of mail, well, that leads me to my next tip…

4. Sort Mail Immediately

Mail can be a huge problem in most households. It often accumulates, piling up for weeks until finally, you sift through it to discover that 95% is junk mail, with a few bills that are now overdue.

This issue is easily resolved but requires intent.

When I check the mail and bring it inside, I position myself next to the trash can and sort it immediately. If it’s junk, I toss it in the recycling. If it’s important, it gets taken upstairs for filing. I’ll detail my mail-filing system in another post, but for now, just remember to sort it as soon as it enters your home.

5. If It Takes Less Than a Minute, Do It Now

This principle transformed the way I manage tasks. I didn’t adopt it until later in my married life when I heard someone discuss organization, and it resonated with me.

Did it work?

Absolutely! To this day, this is among the most crucial strategies for keeping things organized.

The rule is straightforward:

If you have something to do that will take less than a minute, do it immediately.

Don’t postpone it. If you need to file a paper and heading over to your filing system takes under a minute, do it now. If there’s an email or text that requires a quick response, handle it right away.

If you keep deferring small tasks, they will accumulate into a daunting pile. So give this a shot—ask yourself, “Can I complete this in under a minute?” If the answer is yes, tackle it now!

6. Do the Dishes

This seems like a no-brainer, right? Then why does it often feel so challenging?

Admittedly, doing the dishes was a significant struggle in my home until recently. Each night, a massive pile of dirty dishes awaited me, which I truly dreaded facing! However, I have recently adopted Dana White’s method from “How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind,” which worked wonders for my laundry routine, so I decided to apply it to my dishwashing as well.

7. Declutter and Get Rid of Stuff

This is a bonus tip. While this isn’t a daily task, it’s extremely important.

Consider this:

The more stuff you have, the more time you’ll spend trying to keep it clean! Surprisingly simple, right?

Yet we often allow our homes to fill with unnecessary items that we don’t use or even care about. So allocate some time to declutter and dispose of items. You can throw them away, donate, or sell things that you don’t need anymore.

Streamlining your life by eliminating excess clutter will make cleaning your home that much easier!

Now It’s Your Turn

I don’t want to give you the impression that my home is flawless or always in perfect order; that only happens in magazines! My home remains tidy, and I always feel a sense of pride when someone visits or when I take a moment to survey my surroundings.

Remember, intention is key. If you struggle to maintain order, implement these tips for a few weeks until they become habit. You won’t regret it, and hopefully, you’ll notice a positive change in your home.

Do you have any other tips for keeping your home organized? I’d love to hear them in the comments below!