If you’re overwhelmed with your house right now, think of it as an emergency room and you are the triage coordinator. Your assignment is to decide what needs to be taken care of stat and what can wait.
There are a few things in your home that need daily attention before they start to get out of control. Procrastination in each of these areas leads to more problems down the road. I’ve seen these three areas in almost every home I’ve helped organize.
The first area?
Laundry:
If you live with people (or even yourself) you will have laundry. It is a fact of life. If you live with a lot of people, it is a giant fact of life. The longer it is left undone, it literally gets bigger. Make sure you, or someone you have assigned, does a full load (washed, dried, and put away) every day or every other day.
Next target?
Meals:
If you live with people (or even yourself) you must deal with food. Indecision in this area only leads to hunger or spending more money than you need to. Each morning, or preferably the night before, decide what is going to be eaten for each meal you will need. This planning ahead will allow you to thaw something in the fridge or gather needed ingredients. It’s much easier to plan ahead than scramble around later when everyone is hangry. In addition to the food prep, taking care of the dishes is also important. Washed up or loaded into the dishwasher as soon as the meal is over, dishes don’t have a chance to turn into encrusted rocks in your sink and all over your counters.
Third spot?
Bills/Paperwork:
Neglecting this spot leads to many problems. Late fees, missed appointments, and lost opportunities are all a result of ignoring the stack of papers and mail that have entered your home. Create an “intake” area in your home where every paper and piece of mail has to go before it can go anywhere else.
Process every piece of mail every day. Trash/recycle what you don’t need and then make decisions about what you keep. Bills go together to be paid. Invites need an RSVP. Appointments go on a calendar. Then, file each paper where it can be retrieved when needed. If it is a short term paper (invite, field trip, etc.) place it near your intake area as a reminder. Bills can go on a desk or wherever you pay your bills. Newspapers can go in the recycling bin at the end of each day. You have permission to enjoy a greeting card for one week and then recycle it. Don’t feel guilty – it’s a piece of paper. The sentiment that came with it can stay in memory.
In other words: Find a home for each piece of paper or paper will take over your home.
If you focus on these three areas and choose action over procrastination, you will enjoy a better sense of calm in your home. Give it a try!
Do you have other areas In your home that you work on with a triage mentality?
