Household Organization! HELP!

shelbz09

I have come to realize that I spend most of my time, cleaning and doing laundry and I feel as if I can NEVER put a DENT into anything! I just thought I was an extermely messy person, then I thought my boyfriend was... I was just trying to rationalize how the in world can my world be so messy all the time.. If I didnt have to do so much cleaning or so much laundry- I would have more time to workout!

I need some advice! Does anybody have any organizational tips or suggestions?! I do have a dishwasher so that helps! I just need to un-barry myself from this mess and get into a good routine! I am also (hoping) I may be starting a new job. Monday-Friday 8-3 job...and I have online school on evenings and weekends! Any suggestions?! I am pretty desperate! What do you do that makes things easier?!

DrBentonQuest

You live in a space that is too big for you that is probably filled with too much stuff.

Get rid of the clutter. If your place is too dusty, you have too many surfaces and too much bric-à-brac to catch the dust. Too much laundry? Cut the amount of clothes you have in half, and your laundry piles are cut in half.

Don't dedicate a block of time for 'all of your chores.' Rather, do them intermittently throughout the day. Running to the restroom? It only takes ten seconds to spray down the sink and mirror afterwards. Making dinner? Cleaning pans and cooking utensils immediately after use is incredibly efficient as the food hasn't crusted onto the surfaces yet.

Work smart, not hard. Move into a smaller place. Imagine if you or your boyfriend got a job on the other side of the country and could only take what fit into a U-Haul, then get down to that amount of stuff. You're 21 years old. Don't be tied down by possessions yet.

shelbz09

Thank you! I sure do apperciate your advice ! I lost a love one very special to me so I have a bunch of their belongings, just not ready to get rid of them yet! Someday though.... Thank you for you advice

DaniH826

Managing a household is one of those things that everyone does differently, and it's something that takes time growing into and developing a routine with.

Plan your days out and work cleaning/laundry into your schedule. Then stick to it. Approach it with your brain rather than your feelings. Organization requires thoughtfulness and planning, and feelings will really hurt you there if you allow them to run the show. Some of us have to write everything down and need lists to unclutter our brains and see more clearly what needs to be done.

If it's easier for you to spread your cleaning over the week, then tackle one room a day. Today clean the bathroom. Tomorrow the living room. The next day the bedroom. Etc. Or do the floors one day, dusting the next day, etc. Whatever makes the most sense to you. I do a lot of quickie cleaning as I go during the week and as I notice things, so that on "cleaning days" I only do the big items like vacuuming etc. I also do a lot of cleaning while I watch TV or listen to music or am talking on the phone cause I clean on auto-pilot mostly anyway.

Schedule a day to clear out/organize one closet. Then another day to clear out another one. Put all the things you no longer need in boxes/garbage bags. When you're done organizing, make a run to Goodwill/Savlation Army and donate all the bags/boxes.

I've made it a habit to fold all clothes and organize them straight out of the dryer. I only use a basket for small items like socks. That way all the clothes are folded, and they immediately get put away after all the loads are finished. I let nothing sit in a basket or pile up someplace cause why move them same stack of clothes twice? That's terribly inefficient and a waste of time. If you make it a habit to put things away immediately, your home will be less cluttered and a lot more manageable. For the same reason, I don't let dishes pile up in the sink or dish rack or dish washer. When it's clean and dry it gets put away. Period. If I do end up with dishes in the sink, I fill them with water so nothing gets caked on.

Since you're not working during the day right now, take the time to get organized now and get a system going. That way when you do start your job and you have even less time to manage your home, it'll be much easier to maintain things. Time management and household management go hand in hand. They just do.

Also, get the right tools for the job. I love antibacterial wipes for quick cleaning. And the disposable dusters, they're such a time saver (thank you whoever invented them!).

And ask the boyfriend to help with the cleaning/laundry. If ya make it dirty, ya can help clean it. Everyone in our home carries their part of the burden. We all live here, we all contribute, we figured out a system that works for all of us together and we help each other out.

Hope that helped. Good luck!

shelbz09

Thank you so very much! It did !! I appercaite it!:happy:

rikwaynik

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