How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing is a practical guide for overwhelmed homeowners who want to maintain a clean and organized home. Author K.C. Davis offers tips, tricks and strategies to make cleaning more manageable and enjoyable.
Identify Your Priorities
Before beginning a cleaning project, it is important to consider what is most important.
We can start by making a list of the areas that need attention and prioritize the tasks based on their importance.
This will help us focus our efforts and make cleaning more efficient.
Let Go of Perfectionism
Perfectionism can be detrimental when it comes to maintaining a clean home because it leads to unrealistic expectations or feelings of guilt when things don’t go according to plan.
We should let go of perfectionism and instead focus on progress, not perfection.
This will help us stay positive even when faced with setbacks or messes.
Get Creative
To make cleaning more enjoyable, we should get creative with our approaches.
We can try out new methods, such as using natural cleaning products or experimenting with different organizational systems, or we can listen to music while we work or set timers for short bursts of productivity.
This will make cleaning more fun and less tedious.
Reward Yourself
Rewarding ourselves after completing a task helps us stay motivated and encourages us to continue making progress toward our goals.
We should reward ourselves with small treats or activities after completing a task, such as taking a walk or going out for coffee with a friend.
This will help us stay focused on creating a clean, organized home environment.
Stay Positive
Cleaning can be an unpleasant task, but having a positive attitude can make all the difference.
We should focus on the end result and remember that keeping our home clean and organized is worth the effort.
Keeping an optimistic outlook can help us stay motivated and make cleaning feel less like a chore.
Create a Routine
Creating a routine helps us stay on track and keep our home tidy and organized.
We should aim to establish daily habits that make maintaining order easier, such as doing laundry once a week or wiping down surfaces every day.
Setting up routines can help us stay organized and save time in the long run.
Implement Systems
Implementing systems can help us keep our home organized and running smoothly.
We should create storage solutions for items we use frequently, such as baskets for mail or shelves for shoes, so they can be easily accessed when needed.
This will reduce clutter and save time in the long run.
Reduce Clutter
Reducing clutter is key to maintaining an orderly home because it frees up space for other activities and tasks.
We should prioritize decluttering by donating or selling unwanted items, rearranging furniture or setting aside storage containers for items we don’t use often.
This will make it easier to keep our home clean and organized.
Break Tasks Into Steps
Breaking tasks into smaller steps helps them seem more manageable and less overwhelming.
We can create checklists that outline each step of the cleaning process, from gathering supplies to putting items away.
This will help us stay focused and make it easier to tackle even the toughest cleaning projects.
Set Boundaries
Setting boundaries is important when it comes to keeping our home clean and organized.
We should be willing to ask for help when needed and avoid feeling guilty about saying “no” to tasks that don’t fit into our schedule or lifestyle.
This will help us stay on top of our daily responsibilities without getting overwhelmed.
