5 Steps to Getting Your Home Tidy – For Good!

Do you find it difficult to keep your home clean?
Do you feel like you are doing your best but but are overwhelmed?
Does it seem like you are only moving clutter from one room to another?
Do you feel like you have tried everything, and nothing has worked?
Do you find yourself constantly looking for tips & tricks but nothing works?
Do you feel pressure to get your home in order by a strict deadline?
Do you you lack the motivation to get your home in order?
Do you feel like you do not know where to even start?

If you answered “YES” to all or most of the questions above:

YOU ARE NOT ALONE!   

I also had this issue and for years I struggled with getting my home in order.  I was constantly frustrated and felt like I was running in circles.  When I would finally get enough motivation to get working, I would get overwhelmed and very little would actually get done.  Like many people, I was moving things from one room to another, never really cleaning or getting rid of anything.  Messes would still be there just cluttered in a different space. 

The deadlines, the never-ending clutter, and the unrealistic checklists and cleaning routines only created more frustration.  I would continuously look up tips & tricks and many of them were really good!  I would get pumped and start cleaning spaces and I felt wonderful.  But, then slowly over time, those spaces would get back to the mess and clutter that I had at the beginning.  Again, I felt like a failure.

Several years ago, I realized that I had to approach it differently since what I was doing was only creating an unbreakable cycle.  I realized that I needed to remove the amount of pressure that I had placed on my shoulders!  Here is what I did, and am still doing, to get my home in order. 

1.  Make a list of everything that needs your cleaning & organizing.

I know, I know, you have probably made this list a thousand times.  Every time, the same thing happens.  This list will be used differently than you have before.  The reason why you will create this list is to simply have written down, on paper, the items that need attention.  This will be a running list that will serve as a place to check off areas you have completed and add areas that you find later on.  I know I did not think of every area when I sat down the first time.  You will continuously add areas to this list. 

2.  Choose 1-3 rooms/areas that need your attention first.

You are ONLY choosing your top rooms/areas right now.  You are NOT prioritizing the entire list.  Like I mentioned before, this is a running list and will change as you complete a space.  When you try to put the entire list in order at once, it will add pressure to do things in that order.  What you want is simply to not forget what needs to be done, but not add pressure to yourself.  Choosing 1-3 rooms/areas is a small enough goal to start with and when you have completed those areas, you can then go and choose the next 1-3 rooms/areas that you would like to focus on.  This way you have some flexibility. 

3. Prioritize those first 1-3 rooms/areas.

Now from those 3 rooms/areas, put them in to order so you can create a realistic plan. Try to break down bigger rooms into smaller spaces to focus on. 
For example, the spaces I wanted to start with were all located in the kitchen.  I started in the pantry, then the kitchen cabinets and countertops, and lastly the refrigerator. Notice I took one room, the kitchen, and separated it into 3 different areas.  If I tried to clean and organize all of these spaces at the same time, I would have been overwhelmed and created mistakes that would later cause problems. 

3.  Avoid Unrealistic Deadlines!

Allow yourself enough time to complete a room before moving on to your next room.  Have you ever tried clearing out a space within a weekend, or a day? What happens?  You become so overwhelmed and it eats up your entire day and everything else (i.e., laundry, vacuuming, dusting, etc.…) gets pushed off.  Yes, maybe you quickly cleaned one area, but the cost was the rest of your home getting out of order while you put all of your energy into one space. 
Instead of trying to fast track the cleaning of a space at the cost of the rest of your home, give yourself ample time to declutter, clean and organize the space.  For my kitchen, it took me about a month to take care of all 3 areas.  I started in the pantry and spent about a week and a half decluttering, cleaning and organizing.  If it takes longer, that is okay!  Better to take longer to thoroughly complete a space rather than setting up unrealistic deadlines. 

4.   DECLUTTER / CLEAN / ORGANIZE

5.  Create a schedule for regular cleaning & maintenance.

Now that you have completed the space, schedule a day each week to maintain it.  Because you have thoroughly decluttered & organized, tidying the space should be quick each week.  While you move on to another space, make sure you are touching this area at least once per week to keep it tidy.

Then, and only then, I would move on to another room.  Now you can go back to your main list and choose the next space that you would like to tackle.  Take your time and go one space at a time.  Expect for it to take time (years even) for you to complete your entire home.  And expect to make adjustments later on.  Sometimes, the organization system that we implement does not work as expected and needs tweaking.    

I hope these tips will help you get started!  Please comment below with any questions.  I’d love to hear from you!  Happy Cleaning!