Avoid tidying and start resetting

Ever get tired of tidying the house? Does it feel like every room you walk into has stuff everywhere? Do dishes seem to sprout from the kitchen counter?

Maybe try thinking of it in a different way and acting in a new manner. Think proactively. Instead of cleaning after the fact, look at it as resetting the room for the next time you want to enjoy it. It feels more like getting ahead and being positive.

Wash, dry and put away the dishes before you leave the kitchen. Wipe down the stove and counter. Fold the dish towels. Clear the counter of those things that pile up. It will be so much more refreshing when you return. If you do it every time, there will be less to do each time.

While you are cooking, return ingredients to cupboards as you finish with them. Wash dishes as you go. The meal and the preparation cleanup can be done at the same time, so you can sit down and enjoy the food.

Before you go to bed, prepare the kitchen for morning. At our house that means setting up the coffee maker, emptying the trash, sweeping, wiping the counters and doing the dishes. Because I’m usually out doing evening farm chores, one of our sons does the kitchen duty. Our day gets a better start with a clean kitchen and fresh coffee.

Make the bed as soon as you get out of it. Your day will feel more orderly. You have already accomplished something. When you come back at the end of the day, the room will feel peaceful and inviting.

As you get ready in the morning, return things like your toothbrush, makeup and hairdryer to their proper place as soon as you finish with them. Put towels, clothes and laundry away before you leave.

Put your desk in order before leaving it. Facing chaos when you need to get things done makes tasks feel harder. Having a clear desk feels like a fresh start to greet the day. As you work, try to have one project open at a time so you can concentrate. Put all the pieces away before you start something new.

If you are home with young children, the house can feel constantly unruly. When our kids were toddlers, I kept a toy box in every room. Each day at a particular time, I would have them put all the toys in boxes, and we’d vacuum the floors. Then we would sit down with a pile of books. It was a quiet time with the house in some order that made it feel restful. After story time the toddler play time could resume with a fresh start.

Putting all those toys away again before bedtime works well too. And parents know the pain of stepping on a small plastic block or toy car in the middle of the night is to be avoided.

Basically, try to leave a room the way you want to find it when you return. It can take some diligence to get the routine going, but peace in your home is worth a lot. So avoid tidying and start resetting.