I think many have noticed that when there is some uncertainty, and confusion in our minds and affairs, the place where we live starts to rapidly clutter up. And conversely, when there is order in our minds, keeping the space around us clean becomes much easier.
A similar effect is observed with cleaning: when we throw away unnecessary things, clean and tidy up, our internal state also improves, and a certain clarity of thought sets in.
Therefore, it is extremely important to strive to maintain order in the house constantly, as the space we are in greatly affects us. Especially if you work from home. It is much harder to concentrate, work, and create when it’s dirty around you, at least I have noticed this about myself.
In this post, I will share with you the methods I use myself to maintain order. If you make a habit out of these actions, believe me, your apartment, and house will be clean almost automatically, and you will be able to spend much less time cleaning.
- The first and most important point is to set aside 20 minutes for cleaning every day, in the morning or evening.
Here’s what I do: I set a timer on my phone for 20 minutes and start cleaning. During this time, I manage to do several small tasks or one big one. You’ll be surprised, but just following this one rule will make your home much cleaner.
- If something takes a minute, do it right now.
It’s hard to get used to, but it works great. For example, after eating, wash your dishes right away. If something is easy to clean, do it without delay. If something spills or falls, clean it up immediately. When cooking, you can immediately put the used products back in the refrigerator, and so on.
- Keep only your favorite and truly necessary things in your home.
This item will be easier for minimalists by nature. Try to review and revise your things more often. Surely many of us have a bunch of unnecessary clothes and items that we don’t throw away for some reason, even though we haven’t used them for a long time or they no longer bring us joy. As a result, every time we clean, we move them around, rearrange them, and waste extra time maintaining order. It’s much easier to keep track of things that are loved and cherished by their owners.
- Keep surfaces in the house clean and don’t clutter chairs with things.
You can have a clean house, but shelves, tables, dressers cluttered with items, and things on chairs still create a visual sense of disorder.
- Always make your bed.
It may seem like a simple task, but if you don’t do it, it can make the room look messy.
- Every item in the house should have its own place
Immediately after using an item, put it back in its designated place. When you come back from the store, unpack your purchases right away. When you finish drying your clothes, fold them and put them away in the closet, and so on.
- Don’t clutter up the hallway with shoes, newspapers, magazines, and outerwear
Try to keep fewer items in the hallway, and hide excess outerwear and shoes in closets. The hallway is the first thing people see when they enter your home. Often, people don’t go further than the hallway. Try to maintain a healthy minimalism in this area and remove unnecessary items.
- A very important point: every day, turn off hotspots.
The term “hotspot” was borrowed from the Flylady system. A hotspot is a place in the house where the most disorder accumulates at the end of the day. For someone, it’s the hallway where things pile up, for someone, it’s the kitchen, a sink with a pile of dirty dishes, and so on.
In my case, it’s actually the kitchen. Every evening, I check the cleanliness of this place. I wash dishes and clean off the table so that in the morning, I wake up and can enjoy preparing breakfast in a clean kitchen. I sincerely recommend getting used to this action; it helps a lot.
- Once a week, do a thorough cleaning.
You understand that if you cleaned up for 20 minutes six days before this, and did all the above points, you will spend significantly less time on a more thorough cleaning than usual.
- When you’re feeling very lazy, choose and do 3-5 simple actions to maintain cleanliness.
For example, toss clothes into the washer, fold dishes into the dishwasher, replace towels, change bedding, and dust shelves.
