Over the years, especially now with two young kids, I’ve really taken time to try and simplify my life. Shortly after I got married in 2014 I stumbled across a Marie Kondo book and got to work. After I got my actual home in order, I began to find ways to make our day to day activities easier. So here are the top five ways I’ve learned to simplify my life and maintain it.
- Always tidy up before bed. This is number one for a reason. There is nothing I love more than waking up to a clean house. If I wake up and there’s a mess, it seems to throw my whole day off. This is is easier to do if you do the dishes right after dinner so you don’t have to worry about dishes, too. Usually right after the kids go to bed I pick up and put everything where it goes. Everyone has a different idea of clean, but getting toys, clothes, bags, etc. put away allows me to wake up with a fresh start to each day.
- Have a central, written calendar. I have a big calendar in the kitchen with all of our activities and dinner menu right where my husband can see it. Being able to see everything written out helps me plan meals more efficiently and it’s in a central place where I see it throughout the day. A few times a week I do updates, add events that I put in my phone or tweak the meal plan.
- Online grocery shopping. Whether you use a pick up service or delivery, this has been a game changer in my home. It helps me stay within budget since I am not throwing impulse buys in at the store. It saves time since I don’t have to drag kids into the store. And, it’s just so dang easy if you make out your list ahead of time.
- Have a central shoe area right by the door. This one seems silly, but I can’t tell you how nice it is to have all the dirty shoes in one place. My floors are cleaner and we rarely have to look for a lost shoe because we all take them off right by the door and the kids store theirs in a single basket.
- Have a cleaning schedule. I typically like to do one area each day so I don’t spend hours cleaning my house. This way my house is sort of always in a cycle of cleaning and I don’t get overwhelmed trying to find a day to get it all done. My schedule is usually this. Monday, dust and floors. Tuesday, kids’ room trash-sweep, quick organization and vacuum. Wednesday, bathrooms. Thursday, kitchen. Friday, master bedroom and entryway counter (the place we drop mail, purses, water bottles, etc). If I get it all done during the week, I can spend more time with my family on the weekend or it gives us time to tackle a big project (like cleaning out a closet or toys).
