Packing and Unpacking for Small Spaces
June 30, 2015
At the beginning of each year, many of us humans assure ourselves that the year ahead will be more fruitful if we set some resolutions to – eat better foods – work out more and maybe, keep the house nice and clean ..and while I can’t help you with the first two, I know so many of you want to have a cleaner 2016.
So, here’s my advice if you’re looking to stay on top of your house chores a little more this year.
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This year, let’s do something different. Instead of setting resolutions, which have a high failure rate, we’re going to set goals. Goals are incremental and don’t have to span an entire year, which is why I like them, they’re more precise. Perhaps the goal is just to create a new habit, not something ambiguous like I am going to be tidier this year. Also, if you are realistic then you’re more likely to stick to it. And remember to be kind to yourself, if you fall off the wagon, don’t give up entirely, brush yourself off and start up again.
For example, if you’re cleaning the house zero times a month now, even doing it once a month is an improvement, and that’s why it’s important to set realistic goals is important. Increments here people, INCREMENTS!
A clean house has a different meaning for everyone. Take a couple of minutes to decide what your most important areas (MIA) are and why it is truly important to you. If bathrooms are a must because it makes you feel better when you are getting ready in the morning, then forget weekly vacuuming, just focus your goals around a clean bathroom for now, you can build more in later on!
Time Spent cleaning the house needs to be as routine as possible and what gets scheduled gets done. So, if you tell yourself every Monday morning I am going to do a load of laundry, or every Saturday morning I am going to deep clean the kitchen, these are two of my scheduled items by the way, then you’ll get it done. Pick your MIA and then schedule that in. Also, look for ways to find efficiencies to reduce your time. How can you shave two minutes off something you do every single week?
Week in and week out, you need to maintain your schedule as best as you can – and that’s where you need to stay focused. Don’t be overzealous with your goals, I think you’re going to set yourself up for failure. What’s always worked for me is setting a small amount of time aside that I can easily and safely part with, like 15 minutes or 30 minutes, and dedicate my time to that. Then, during that time, I clean like a madwoman. I put on music or a podcast or audiobook, avoid all distractions and just clean. That’s all I have to do. It’s purely living in the moment!
And something I really stand by is that even if you live with someone or many ones who don’t clean, let go of the resentment about that. You are cleaning because you want a clean space that you can appreciate. You’re not doing it for them, this is a selfish thing you’re doing for YOU.
My progression to living a cleaner life took time. What started with no joke, hanging up my coat to keep a cleaner front hall, then lead to adding in laundry to my morning routine a couple times a week, laundering cloths and linens weekly, deep cleaning the kitchen weekly, and then deep cleaning my bathroom every couple of weeks. If I told myself to get all of this done January 1st, I’d be living in a castle of nasty. So throughout my years I’ve added in these little extra things to my day and look at me, years later! That’s what happens when you layer on small progressions. That’s all I am suggesting you do.
Many of you have probably heard me say this many times before, but there’s good reason for that. We’re all reward motivated. I follow enough of you guys on Instagram to know how you reward yourselves; fun family outings, new clothes, tasty meals out, so make sure you give yourself a nice reward and be complimentary and kind to yourself along the way. This might sound corny, but seriously this kind of positive self talk is what gets people from wherever they are stuck to where they want to be. I think acknowledging your hard work is what’s most important frankly, but a pretty new thing or a crispy crackly treat never hurts either.
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So tell me Clean My Space Nation – are you going to set some goals, or resolutions this year? What are you going to do to live a cleaner 2016? Let me know in the comment section down below because I would love to hear what you have to say!
Happy 2016 Clean My Space Nation – thanks for watching and we’ll see you next time!
