keeping your house in order - aug2012

I want my home to be my sanctuary. I want to feel peaceful and relaxed in my home. I want my home to reflect the best of me. I have heard all these comments and many more when I facilitate seminars. So why is it so hard to live the dream? Why can’t we create the idyllic picture we have in our heads of walking through our front door into a clean organized home? When our reality doesn’t match our dream we begin to believe what we want is only a fantasy.

There is very little difference between you and your friend who is well organized and has her house in order. You know her well. She invites you over any time of the day. Her home feels peaceful and organized. You start thinking she inherited an “organization gene” that somehow escaped you. I am here to tell you that the difference between her life and yours comes down to one thing. Habits! Organized people have developed extremely good habits and so can you. It is possible to live the dream!

Here is some of my best advice for keeping your house in order on a regular basis:

• Start putting things away after using them. Don’t procrastinate. This is simple advice but not always practiced. There should be a place for everything and everything in its place.

• When you buy something new, toss out something old. This habit will help prevent your home from getting cluttered.

• Make your bed daily and have your children make theirs as well.

• Twice a day, morning and night, tidy up your home.

• Have a regular routine for cleaning your house. Pick a certain day of the week or choose to clean on a daily basis by tackling a room every day.

• De-clutter your drawers, cabinets and closets monthly. Tackle one a week.

• If you can hire a housekeeper to come in a few times a year to help with heavy cleaning this may help you tremendously. Women will spoil themselves with a manicure or pedicure but think they have to do all their cleaning themselves.

• Mail adds up quickly. Create a mail station and a filing system. You don’t have to read every piece of junk mail, just toss it right away. Shred mail that has your personal information on it. Pay your bills online or sign up for automatic bill pay.

• We wear 20 percent of our clothing 80 percent of the time. If you haven’t worn clothing in one year, donate it. Get in the habit of cleaning out your closets on a regular basis.

• De-clutter on a monthly basis, donating unused items to charities.

• Own only enough books to fill your bookshelves and recycle the rest.

• Do a clean sweep of your home in both spring and fall.

• Figure out what your time is worth. You may need to hire out jobs around the house.

• Think twice before buying anything. Do you really need it?

Surround yourself with things you truly love and your home will reflect who you really are. Also you will need to keep things that are truly functional and you use all the time. You really don’t need the rest. When you are on the right path your home will feel light, calm and there will be a flow to your time spent there. It’s time to live the dream and don’t forget to enjoy the journey!