Keeping our house tidy is one of our desires and we find pride in keeping it that way. As moms, we work hard to keep the house picked up but it seems like it only takes seconds to undo all our efforts. A common phrase that many moms share sounds something like this, “Can everyone please just put things back the way they found them?” I have 5 fail-proof routines set up in our home that help me keep the house tidy day after day. If this is something you are looking for as well, continue reading, and let’s jump in!
Listen below for the entire episode on The Systemize Your Life Podcast
With Spring approaching, our family has really been enjoying the season. It is beautiful here in AZ and everything around us is in full bloom. As we have been enjoying this time, I have taken a moment to really give thought to what routines I have in place to keep a tidy house. These are routines that I didn’t have in the past because I didn’t have the understanding or systems in place that help with routines. I want you to take a look at where you are in your home, marriage, motherhood, business, and productivity, and figure out where you are in those spaces. What are you accomplishing in each of those areas?
What are the 5 Routines To Keeping A Tidy House?
1. Daily Tidy Cues
Tidy Cues happen during a specific time, typically during your transitions in your time blocks during your day where you know you need to tidy. It’s knowing that if you don’t tidy during that specific blocked-out time, the mess will still be waiting for you at the end of the day. At the end of the night when the kids have all gone to bed, the goal is to be able to relax and do whatever it is that you want right before bedtime happens. You don’t want to go to bed leaving everything in shambles and feeling like a failure because you didn’t get to the dirty dishes in the sink.
I have to and have always tried to do these tidy cues. One of my tidy cues is my desk space. When I’m done working at the end of the day, I make sure before I go to the open space with my family, I tidy this space. Pens are put away, the laptop is charging, my dishes are picked up, and my diffuser is prepped and ready for the next day. I learned this the hard way, but now it’s a habit and I love coming into my workspace every day where things are just ready to go and I can begin work right away when I need to.
2. Make Your Bed Everyday
Make this one of your daily goals. When you make your bed, something happens in your brain. The military teaches this as well. There is something about making your bed that sets up your mindset for the rest of your day. I know it sounds a little wonky, but trust me, this is life-changing. I swear to you, my 90-year grandmother heard me talking about this a few years ago and she still toots her own horn to this day that she makes her bed daily! If my 90-year grandmother can do it and my 4 year old can be committed to the process and have fun with it, so can you! This will catapult your day. If you can’t get anything else during your day, but your bed is made, you will feel so much better.
My days can look all over the place sometimes when life happens. When the kids aren’t feeling good and my husband isn’t home to help out, and all the things still need to be done, it is a beautiful feeling when I walk into my bedroom 12 times a day and see this bed neat and made up. It’s a breath of fresh air. You know how to make your bed, but make it simple and make it pretty. Make it a place you want to be. Find things that are inexpensive to decorate with, and make it beautiful!
3. After Dinner Routine
This is huge!!! Blaine hates a dirty kitchen. He would clean it all day, every day if he had to. However, when the kitchen is clean, the whole house feels amazing. The easiest way for a kitchen to become dirty is to cook in it. Yes, kitchens are made to cook and prepare food in, but it is so vital to have an after-dinner routine. This is not the time for everyone to go about their own business and get ready for bed so that you can come back and clean once everyone is asleep. That is a NO NO NO!!! This is not a thing, stop doing it right now if this is you! Yes, this is some tough love, but I am passionate about things that I know work and things that don’t.
It brings me so much joy when I hear my girls say, “Can I be excused from the table?” And then I watch them grab their plates from the table and load them into the dishwasher. This is an opportunity for them to learn how to help as a family. After they are done with that step, they return to the table and start grabbing things that they are able to put away on their own. This is part of our after-dinner routine, and it helps keep the kitchen tidy night after night. You have to make sure this happens.
4. Kids Cleaning Up After Each Activity
You can do this routine with your kids regardless of their age. In the beginning stages, you are doing most of the work for them, but as they grow, you will be able to pass the baton over to them. When you pick up everything for your kids, they see that task completed. Then, make the assumption that that is YOUR JOB and the way things are supposed to be.
However, if you start from the very very young years and show them that they have a responsibility to pick up after themselves, it will become a habit for them to do it automatically. If you have older kids and they are doing this too, they need to pick up their things. Do they pick up their gaming systems, their bowls, their snacks, their sports equipment, or are you doing all the work? Yes, there will be daily reminders I’m sure, but your kids need to be cleaning up after every activity.
With that said, it is important to clean up your own activity after you are done with it as well. Whether it be cooking, crafting, exercising, or cleaning, you have to clean up your mess. I am not a pro at this! Blaine on the other hand is great at this. Oftentimes, I need to remind myself that when I am finished with something, I have to clean up that space and leave it tidy as a good example to my girls. Therefore, when I pick up after myself, I am showing my girls that this is how things work, and this is how we take care of our home.
5. System Reset
This is a routine where you reset all of your systems. Systems don’t run on their own. Instead, they have to be maintained. You have to do all of the work upfront to set up a system, but then it’s super easy to go on autopilot. This is the beauty of systems. Once they are established you don’t have to fight with them, just maintain them. You have to reset your systems at least once a week. If you have been here for a while, you know that we have a hybrid system. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, the hybrid planning system is the google calendar and a paper planner. We have resources right here on the website specifically for this if you’re needing some help.
This is the beauty of systems; once they are established you don’t have to fight with them, just maintain them.
If you are still trying to figure out what I am talking about, now would be a great time to click here and enroll in the academy today! You will learn all about this in there. You will succeed here! We have an amazing community and team.
I reset my workflow, my house, my laundry, my girl’s rooms, the fridge, I reset it all. I do all of this on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. This allows my other days to be more easy going with smaller resets where needed. That way I can enjoy my people and the other things we have going on in life.
If you have questions about what you should be doing, and what systems you need to establish, come join our community and we will be here to help you! We love being able to help systemize your life. If you aren’t ready to jump into the academy just yet, please visit us over in the Facebook group and we would love to meet you there as well. As always, it’s a joy to know that you are here with us and until next time, I’ll see you here on the blog!
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find time to keep my home clean and tidy as a busy, work from home mom?
It can be easy to feel overwhelmed when you are juggling all the things. Between marriage, children, the home, and your business, it is common to feel pulled in so many directions. In order to keep your home clean and tidy, it is so important to schedule times within your day to reset and clean up. I call these Tidy-Qs. Quick moments where your focus in on resetting a space, clearing off the area, and refreshing for the next day. As you build these into your daily routines, they become habits and will actually stick! Additionally, through using my 5-time block method, I schedule in a deep cleaning zone weekly. You got this mama!
