If there’s one thing I have straight about my busy schedule, it’s that Monday through Friday the mess always piles up until I can finally get some weekend relief. Even if it seems impossible to clear the clutter after a tough day, with the right motivation you’ll stay clutter-free straight to Saturday.
Step 1: Try to tackle the dishes head on. Instead of letting your morning bowl of cereal stick to the coffee table all day, make a habit of not only bringing all dirty dishes into the kitchen, but putting them in the dishwasher right away. If you have a dishwasher, you might even consider letting the empty wash racks stay open during dinner-time so no one forgets to rinse and deposit when they’re done. Or you could try a rule like this: No cups on coasters that don’t have mouths to match! If you’re not drinking it, it better be in the kitchen.
Step 2: Have a lot of “dirty” laundry baskets. If you’re tired of peeling dirty socks off the floor then get yourself a new (large) set of laundry hampers or baskets. Keeping separate hampers for white, dark, and hand-wash items will eliminate the piles around the washer when you’re trying to sort clothes. And having them where they belong will keep them off your floor until they get there. Have enough baskets to fit at least one week worth of your entire family’s laundry. Encourage your kids (and yourself) to use them by putting them in your bathrooms, the corners of the bedrooms, and the laundry room itself.
Step 3: Take note of the mess. What is it that’s cluttering the counter when you step in the door each day? Is it school books, plastic bags, forgotten food? What about the contents of somebody’s pocket, or a box of crayons, or just plain old trash? Think about what you see in each room, and create solutions to combat the problem. If purses, backpacks or jackets are shoved into the seats at the dining room table, then attach hooks to the walls nearby. Or if miscellaneous junk from the office creeps over the counter, label a few bins for all the documents and supplies you tend to let sit out. Put the bins under the sink, under a plant or tucked into shelving space—anywhere accessible. Later when you’re looking for your paperwork, it’ll be exactly where you left it, and free of the spills and stains that a high-traffic area can supply.