As I’m sifting through a pile of paperwork today, this catchy little phrase keeps running through my head.
Gosh, isn’t that the truth? But sometimes keeping up simply isn’t an option. There’s just too much coming at you and too many must-do tasks on your to-do list to actually keep up. Other times, however, keeping up is just a whole bunch of tiny choices everyday. Choices like:
- Going through today’s mail and doing the associated tasks, like scheduling bills for payment and filing away the coupons. (Clearly, I haven’t been making that choice as of late, haha.)
- Doing the dishes and cleaning up the kitchen as soon as you’re done eating dinner.
- Tidying up surface clutter before bed each night. This includes tasks like hanging up clean clothes, putting dirty clothes in the laundry basket, and putting away other items you took out and used today.
The good thing about getting behind, like I am right now, is that it reminds me how much more pleasant life is when I’m a bit more on top of things. Life ebbs and flows, and the messy times when we’ve fallen behind are part of that ebb and flow. This means if you’ve fallen behind it is not an opportunity to beat yourself up! Instead, use it as an opportunity to reset your home and your habits by incorporating a 15 minute tidying into the end of your day. Waking up to a home free of surface clutter is a wonderful gift to give yourself. And, as an added bonus, you’ll see the tangible benefits of keeping up instead of catching up.
Happy organizing!
I totally agree, Aby. In addition to feeling great about being on top of things, it helps avoid the situation where another person comes along and sweeps the outstanding clutter into a mixed bin/box because they want to “clean up.” Then there is a big mess to untangle, which always takes more time than it would have taken to reset each item in real time.
Great point, Seana!
Yes, I completely agree. Once you have your home in good order, it’s so much easier to spend 15-30 minutes each day keeping it that way than to spend a few hours on the weekends trying to catch up.