Get Organized: Daily Routines
Apparently Americans are an unorganized lot because there’s a lot of talk, both online and offline, about how to get organized. You’ll find magazines with featured articles about it and television shows devoted to nothing but organizing your home. If you listen to many of these sources, you’ll find that one of the easiest ways to get organized is with a daily routine.
What is a daily routine and how can it help you get organized? A routine is another word for a habit. It’s something you’ve done much the same way for so long that you don’t even have to think about it anymore. You can easily create a routine for getting organized. Let’s look at the concept and see how it can be used to get your home organized.
Bedtime routine – Take 20 minutes to work in one area of the house:
1. Kitchen – Waking up to a sink full of dirty dishes is enough to make anyone dread getting up in the morning. Before you go to bed, make sure your dishes are done. Either wash them by hand or start the dishwasher.
2. Living room – Pick up anything that doesn’t belong in that room and take it where it goes.
3. Bathroom – Make sure all clothes and towels are picked up off the floor and put into the laundry.
4. Bedroom – Put your clothes into the laundry and pick out your clothes for the next day.
Take some time to plan your day. Think about what you have to do tomorrow and write down anything else you may remember. This will give you a chance to clear your brain and allow you to sleep better.
Morning routine – This will help you get your day off to a good start.
1. Empty the dishwasher.
2. Make breakfast, washing dishes as you go. When you’re done eating, put dishes into the dishwasher to start later.
3. Check your calendar to make sure you’re aware of any appointments.
4. Thaw a frozen dinner by putting it in the refrigerator.
5. Start a load of laundry.
Afternoon routine – If you’re at home during the day, use the time to clean areas you may not have gotten to earlier. Dry, fold, and put away the load of clothes you washed earlier. You may want to take time to make a tentative schedule of when you’ll complete other weekly cleaning.
The more things you can create a routine for when cleaning and organizing your home, the better. Routines, when they’re done often enough, become second nature to you and you don’t have to think about what to do next. Take the time to create your own and then get organized with daily routines.
January 21st, 2009 at 9:16 am
As usual awesome advice. My problem is that I start with a routine and do good for awhile but then everything just goes bye bye and I’m left feeling all overwhelmed and unorganized once again.
January 21st, 2009 at 2:56 pm
I with Tishia. This is great advice, however, sticking to a routine is my problem. I’m usually exhausted by the time I get home. So while putting my 5 month old to sleep, I’m falling asleep at the same time. I think I’m going to try to implement one thing at a time, like dishes. I hate going to bed with dishes in my sink. It drives me up a wall.
January 24th, 2009 at 6:12 pm
I love your daily routine ideas. I always wonder if it’s better to start with one routine and add items as they become habits, a la Flylady, or if I should start with a series of routines and hope the entire “dance” becomes a habit.
Thanks for your post!