Have you ever dedicated hours to tidying, organizing, or cleaning your house all at once, only to discover that within a few days, it appears as if a bomb has exploded? Toys are everywhere, cups or water bottles are in bedrooms or coffee tables, dirty clothes on the floor instead of in the hamper?
If you’re nodding your head, then keep reading. In this blog post, we take a look at three different techniques you could try in order to keep your house tidy, while getting the whole family involved, from kids to teens. Because it isn't just one person's job, and things will get done a lot quicker when it's a team effort!
If It Takes 5 Seconds Or Less, Do It Right Away
Often times we find ourselves untidy, messy or unorganized because we keep delaying decisions or actions. For example, we put a dirty glass in the sink rather than putting it in the dishwasher right away. Or, we leave our hairbrush on the vanity instead of putting it back in the drawer right away. These small tasks that take no time at all, end up costing us a lot of time at the end of the day because it piles up, quite literally. The sink is full of dirty dishes, the vanity may have other things on it and so forth.
If something takes less than 5 seconds and is very simple to do, then try to get into the habit of doing it right away. This will save you time in the long run, as well as keep your house tidy without you even thinking about it.
Never Leave A Room Empty Handed
If you’re in the living room and have an empty glass, pick it up and take it with you the next time you get up to use the bathroom or go to the kitchen.
We all know this example…we pile things on the stairs to go upstairs, and then everyone walks right by it and it stays on the staircase for days. Even if it is just getting into the habit of picking one thing up at a time and putting it in the home it belongs in right away, rather than picking up the whole pile at once.
3. Five-Minute Clean Ups
5 minute clean ups. Have you ever tried them? Set an alarm for 5 minutes and everyone in the house starts to clean up. Choose a specific room, or each family member does a room. You may choose to do this once or twice a day, whatever works for your family. Once the alarm goes off after 5 minutes, that's it. You stop.
You will have to customize this technique based on the age(s) of your child(ren). If they are younger, they probably won’t be able to do this for 5 minutes straight. And if they are younger, you may need to help them and be in the same room as them.
Here is a huge hint or word of advice if you will:
Once that alarm goes off, STOP. Don't make your kids clean up if the timer goes off or else they won't ever trust you or want to do this exercise again. 😂 Stick to the timer!
Do any of these techniques resonate with you? Don’t try to implement all of them at once. Pick one that stands out to you and that you thing is doable, and start working on it. You are working on the practice of forming a habit, as well as keeping your house tidy at the same time. Habits take time to form. So pick one and keep practicing until you have it down.
Which technique are you going to try and implement? Let me know in the comments!
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