As I sit here writing this post, my home is currently clean. Like actually clean. Like everything is orderly and put away. There might be a pile a boxes on the counter waiting to be dropped off at USPS, but, overall, things are looking pretty damn clean. And why is this worth mentioning? Because today just felt so much easier than it usually does. My day was pretty usual. Woke up before 5am for barre, had a yummy breakfast, showered and dressed, woke up and fed the twins, played in their room while a contractor cleaned our chimney, went to the grocery store, made lunch, played a bit, and put them down for a nap. If this were any other day, the beginning of nap time means me collapsing on the couch with a bag of snack food while simultaneously watching Netflix, reading blogs on my laptop, and checking Instagram on my cell phone. This goes on for an hour or so while I contemplate the chores I’ve been putting off and stress about everything I have to do. It feels nearly impossible to lift myself off the couch and pry my iPhone from my hands just so I can accomplish SOMETHING before nap time ends.

But today is different. The dishes from last night’s dinner was cleaned and put away immediately following dinner. Toys were put away before we went to the grocery store. Lunch trays were cleaned and put away way before nap time started. There seems to be a trend here. Everything dirtied or used was cleaned and put away immediately after it was no longer needed. And because of all these quick cleaning moments, nothing has piled up into one overwhelming disaster. This all sounds simple, almost like it should be common sense, but making time to complete these quick little cleaning chores makes such a huge difference throughout the day. Those feelings of stress I normally have throughout the day when someone is screaming or throwing food or needs an immediate diaper change just don’t appear as easily when everything around me is in its place.

This foreign feeling I’m having as I type this, I think it could be described as ‘relaxed’ or ‘content’ is something I really want to hold on to. So I’ve devised a complicated, multi-step system for keeping things cleaned and organized in my home!

1. Remove everything in my home that isn’t a necessity or a truly beloved item.
2. Put things away as I use them and clean up the space I’m in before I leave.

Wait, that’s it. It’s actually not that complicated. But it is difficult. We can say we’re going devise a system or set of rules to keep our home orderly, but it’s still going to be difficult to complete that step before step #1 (you could call it step #0), which is to just get motivated! We all have different ways of motivating ourselves to make time for quick cleans. But for me, the biggest motivation right now is this feeling of satisfaction with my life because everything just feels easier. And when you put your own satisfaction and happiness, first, it becomes easier and easier to give others the attention they deserve.

I wish I had all the answers for how you can personally motivate yourself to keep your home clean and orderly. But I do that, for most, the first step is to only own the important things. The time you save cleaning and organizing when you have less is measurable.

Hope this has been helpful has you strive towards making your home your happy place. Thanks for reading!