Mindfulness For A Tidier Home

I have to work really hard to keep my home tidy. What about you? I have so much admiration for my friends who seem to effortlessly always have a clean house. If this is a challenge for you as well, I have some tips that help keep my house from a free fall of chaos.

It’s not for a lack of time or desire that I struggle, but rather a lack of mindfulness. Anytime I feel rushed or am overthinking a situation, I stop paying attention to where I put things. I stop, for brief moments, caring about the state of my home. I stop paying attention to the systems I have in place to keep my home organized. It’s a frustrating cycle!

But there is hope. I have implemented 3 daily goals that have helped tremendously with my mindfulness when it comes to keeping my home together:

1. Minute to win it – It’s a game you may have played as a child or with your child but it’s a great concept for adults as well! Challenging yourself to do a tedious task for only ONE minute a few times a day can help you get the ball rolling when you’re lacking motivation and focus. It’s amazing how much can get done in 60 seconds when you’re paying attention and you add up one minute multiple times throughout the week and you can complete an entire chore rather effortlessly.
2. The 5 item pick up game – Our home’s biggest challenge is putting things where they belong. A pair of socks here, a water bottle there – this lack of attention to placement adds up and it adds up fast! By challenging myself to find 5 items out of place and put them away I start a chain reaction that usually leads to almost everything getting put away. Even if I only make it to 5 items, my house is a tad tidier and this can make all the difference.
3. Strategic reminders – As with most areas in life, you’re only as mindful as you can remember to be. So setting up periodic reminders to PAY ATTENTION to the state of my home really matters. A phone timer once an hour, or every morning and every evening is usually all it takes to keep me mindful. Once I’m more aware, and I envision my home in a blissful state of organization, I am more apt to implement my strategies.

Mindfulness is about awareness and when you’re too busy over thinking situations, over analyzing what you did or said, or sucked into your device, it’s hard to prioritize tedious tasks such as cleaning.

By prioritizing mindfulness and really making it an hourly practice, you’ll free up so much mental energy that is better served to accomplishing what really matters to you, and a tidy home does help with a tidy mind! Good luck and happy minding!