Cutting Down on Cleaning Up

As we go about our daily lives, we pick up countless items in our home and put them back down again.  The only problem with this is that where we put them down is rarely where they belong.  Our possessions get spread out throughout the day. Look around the room where you're currently sitting...is there anything out of place? I don't know what your room looks like, but without much effort I can make a list from my home on any given day: the cordless phone is nowhere near its base, the pens are nowhere near the desk, the shoes are nowhere near the closet, the socks are nowhere near the laundry (perhaps that's unique to my house, but socks are always where they don't belong), the glasses are nowhere near the dishwasher.  That's just a quick list.  Perhaps you have a similar situation. If you don't, then congratulations are truly in order. As we've discussed in previous blogs, having a place identified for everything makes bringing everything back to "base" just as easy. Once you have that worked out, there's just one key step to cutting down cleaning up: NEVER leave a room empty handed.  Yes, it's simple, but very effective.

Every time you get up, bring something to the next room that belongs there. Consider how often you move from room to room and how many items you could put away in just one day.  It will eventually (dare I say, quickly?) become a habit. Of course it's a never-ending cycle and things will reappear, but it is so much easier to keep your space tidy if you don't need to dedicate long stretches of time to straightening up. It's a constant process, and one you can share. Family members will love the little reminders to take something with them when they leave the room, trust me. Okay, maybe you shouldn't trust me on that one. Although they may not love it, it WILL help.

Now, if you're not passing by the home of the misplaced item on the way from the living room to the kitchen, all is not lost. A little trick is to move the item closer to its base. Although I usually go the extra mile and put the item away, I have been known to move things to the doorway of the room it belongs in if I'm really pressed for time. It gets closer to where it needs to be and is ready for when I walk into that room.  Use the partial move method once you're into the routine of putting things away, since you don't want to add unnecessary piles. If it belongs on another floor of the home, get it just a little closer by putting it on, or near, the stairs. Remember safety first: don't put in where someone can trip.  Once there is an item waiting for you, you'll never walk up or down the stairs empty handed, right?

 Get free organizing tips from So Squared Away!