Life is crazy, complicated, and extremely busy at times. From juggling family matters to the necessities of a homestead or the pressures of a job, the average person has a lot on their plate at any given time. It can be hard to stay focused and on top of things. I find that when I’m stressed and busy, the first thing that suffers is my organization.
The dishes pile up because there just doesn’t seem to be enough time between other things, the bed doesn’t get made in the morning, and things just don’t get put away promptly. By the time that I have a moment of breathing room, my house is a mess and cleaning it takes longer than necessary—assuming that more things don’t take up my time. Sound familiar?
Regardless as to how busy you really are and how good you are at keeping life simple, there are a few simple daily routines that you can do in order to reduce stress and make life easier.
Make your bed and pick up dirty clothes
When you get out of bed, turn around and make your bed and fluff the pillows. After you get dressed, throw the clothes in the hamper instead of in a pile on the floor. Both things only take a minute, but will help make the room that much more welcoming and clean when you get home in the evening. It also makes getting ready for bed simpler.
Straighten each room before you leave it
When you leave a room in the house, make it a goal to leave every room as clean or cleaner than it was when you entered. For example, if you see something out of place, take a second and put it away. You’re leaving the room anyway, right? Might as well make the most out of it, especially since you probably brought that item in there to begin with.
Do the dishes immediately
Don’t let the dishes just sit in the sink. Once you’re done with a dish that goes in the dishwasher, go ahead and rinse it and place it in the dishwasher. If it can’t go in the dishwasher, then go ahead and wash it by hand. I also suggest running the dishwasher in the evenings so you can put the dishes away in the morning.
Don’t have a dishwasher? Try doing the dishes as you go. I leave the dish strainer or cloth out most of the time, and it only takes a second to wash a couple of dishes versus waiting until there’s a ton.
Only touch paperwork once
If there is anything that I find, it’s that there is always paperwork laying around my house. Whether it’s a coupon for an item I know I’ll need soon, a bill, a receipt, or letter that I need to reply to soon, there’s lots of different pieces of paper floating about my house. While some blogs will tell you to go all digital, I prefer to have the physical paper reminder. So instead, I suggest that you set up some sort of filing system and only touch each piece of paperwork once. When you get it, don’t just set it on the table… open it, do whatever you need to do, and then put it where it goes whether that’s a file or the trash. This one little thing will greatly simplify those papers that seem to take over the house.
Take me-time every day
When you’re trying to keep life simple, the most important thing to do is to to take a few minutes every day for yourself. Whether it’s reflecting with a cup of coffee in the morning, taking a long shower to relax after work, or writing in a journal before bed, make sure that you set aside a few minutes that are all about you. This might be in the form of making a to-do list when you get up, or taking care of the animals and spending quality time with them.
Do you have any tricks for keeping life simple and less stressful? Share with us below!!
Leave a Reply