15-Minute Sweep

Nothing starts my day off worse than when I wake to a living room full of toys, a kitchen sink full of dishes, or a laundry room full of piles of laundry that need to be folded.  This is rare in my home, but indeed it does happen.  I like to wake up to a clean slate so my mind is fresh and full of clarity not weighed down with a list of chores from the previous day.  Here is a quick tip I use to maintain some order in our home.

15-Minute Sweep:

Take 15 minutes a day to quickly sweep through each room of your home throwing away garbage, picking up laundry, hanging up coats, putting away shoes, putting away toys, piling up paperwork/mail, and placing items in the room where they belong.  You are not organizing or sorting in this process, you are simply restoring order to each room.  This task can be done at anytime during your day.  For me, it works best at the end of the evening before I go to bed so I know I can wake the next day with a sense of order and clarity.

Being consistent and completing this task EVERY day will minimize feeling overwhelmed by clutter in your home.  If you struggle with being consistent in the beginning, write down your "15-Minute Sweep" goal somewhere you will see it and read it everyday.  After a couple weeks of consistency your 15-minute sweep will be second nature.  Happy Sweeping!

Photo:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dunbargardens/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0