Hello Reader,
Sometimes, when our homes are too much to manage, we need an easy place to start where we get a win...every single day.
The best way I achieve this in my own home is with simple routines: routines that are so simple and happen so often that my family members pick up on them without really being told.
These simple routines also help my home feel clean when I have no energy or time to do anything else throughout the rest of the day.
Before you tell me, "yeah, but I have no time in the mornings", hear me out. This all takes less than 10 minutes, but the productive feeling it gives you for the rest of the day is unmistakable. I truly believe it gives you energy to do other things because you already have a head start!
Here is my simple morning routine for keeping a clean home:
1 - Make your bed. (3 minutes)
It doesn't matter if you just throw the covers up to the top and call it good, but make your bed. When you do this, 50% of your room now looks nice. It's beautiful how simple this can be for your mental health!
Side note: If you have so many pillows that you (or your spouse) never want to make the bed, get rid of them! No one said decorative pillows were a requirement for a nice-looking room.
If decluttering all your decorative scares you, put them in a bag for a few weeks, see how you feel without them, and then revisit the idea. Once I started making my bed every day, I actually enjoyed having a few decorative pillows on my bed.
2 - Start a load of laundry. (2 minutes)
You aren't finishing a load of laundry yet. You are simply getting a load to the washer and starting it. Now, when you get home from work or have time later in the day, you've already started the process.
Ignore all other laundry chores at this time (unless you just have a whole bunch of extra time in the morning). The goal is to simply START a load.
We aren't folding. We aren't ironing. We are just throwing clothes or linens in the washer, adding some soap, and pressing start. That's it.
(Pro tip: If you have a delay option on your washer, set it to be done when you get home. Then you don't have wet clothes sitting in the wash all day.)
3 - Unload the dishwasher. (4 minutes)
I'm likely getting ahead of myself on this one, but unload your dishwasher in the morning.
To do this, and where I'm getting ahead of myself, is here: this means you need to start the dishwasher the night before!
It's efficient because you can pull out the dishes you want to use for breakfast, and now you don't have to actually put them all away. Small wins!
That's it. If you want to do more cleaning tasks throughout your day, awesome. It's needed to manage a home. However, if this is all you can give each day, you're already ahead.
Plus, there's a lot of science to support starting your day off productive and feeling calm.
If you haven't already, be sure to download the Happy Simple Home Cleaning Schedule. It's my divide and conquer method to keep a clean and clutter-free home!
Sincerely,
Brooke, Happy Simple Mom
Free Cleaning Schedule
A realistic weekly schedule for keeping a clean home...
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