There seems to be 3 basic steps we can take to realise a tidy house:
1 Allocate a set address for everything you own
2 Put back things to their home immediately after using them
3 Never move room to room without picking up something to put away
1 Allocate a set address for everything you own
We need to give each item a logical and practical address to suit us. For example, you may keep your nailcutter in your bathroom. But if you have a habit of grooming yourself while relaxing in the living room, then you must keep it somewhere in the living room. Otherwise, the nail cutters will just get left around. Or worse, being put away in some temporary space and you'll end up wasting time searching for it. It sounds simple, but sometimes we aren't conscious of our own habits! We need to analyse our behaiviour to decide what goes where.
2 Put back things to their home immediately after using them
If you find it difficult to stick to this, then you might reconsider the item's address. It might be kept too far away from the place you usually use it or you need to take too many steps to reach and return it!
3 Never move room to room without picking up something to put away
On this, I am still in training. I want it to be like second nature. Ultimately, I need to do this without even thinking about it! But for now, I am enjoying it as a game.
I guess these 3 methods are well known. I am trying but still my house isn't always tidy. I think that is because I am lazy. I know! But seriously, I want to forgive myself for not being a dedicated homemaker, at the same time I want to look like one by utilising clever tricks and ideas.
One reason that I cannot completely comply with the 3 methods is that maybe I still have too many items. I need to remove clutter and should try reducing the number of items I use by making one tool to do more than one job. I need to reconsider the addresses of those items if they tend to travel around. Maybe I should even choose and find a home for an item before aquireing it! I also should have some space for overflow or new items.
I would like to keep everything streamlined and hide it out of sight, but this is simply not practical. So I have an everyday family mode and a guest mode where I temporarily hide ugly items.
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