5 Things Organized People Do Every Day That You Don’t

What’s the difference between people with tidy, organized houses and those without? Organized people do a little bit of organizing every day. Except it’s so ingrained in their habits and routines that they don’t even realize they’re doing it.

Clutter is a constant in life. The only way to fight it from taking over your home is to accept that it’s part of life. After that, it’s all about playing defense in small, unobtrusive ways.

I’ve been looking closely at the things I do every day that I don’t think are a “big deal” but turn out to make an enormous difference in how my home looks and feels. 

So here are 5 simple things you can do every day to keep your home tidy and organized.

Make your bed.

There’s a lot of conflicting arguments around making the bed but I believe it’s one of the most transformative things you can do. Making your bed can take a bedroom from messy to tidy in less than a minute. This action also gives your brain the power to believe that you can be and are a tidy person and that you are in control of your day.

Clean up as you cook.

To avoid a giant, overwhelming mess at the end of cooking a meal, clean up as you go. When there’s a lull, like waiting for food to cook on the stove or after placing something in the oven, start washing dishes, wiping the counters, and putting away ingredients.

Toss paper ads immediately.

When you bring in the mail, recycle all the ads before you set the pile down. Paper constantly comes into our homes, so eliminating any unnecessary paper will save a lot of time in the long run.

For 6 ways to reduce paper clutter, read this post.

Sweep crumbs off the floor.

When you have little kids, there’s going to be crumbs. Take a minute to sweep or vacuum the crumbs off the floor after a messy meal or at the end of the night. Not taking that minute means more crumbs will get tracked all over the house.

Put things away as you go.

If you’re taking things out to use and not putting them back, your house will get cluttered. Practice using the 1-Minute Rule to put things away right away instead of allowing them to linger on surfaces and the floor.

Or use a 10-Minute Tidy to clean up all at once (this works well if you have kids).

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These 5 simple “no big deal” tasks can make a huge difference in the look and feel of your home. It’s small actions that change a home from messy to tidy. I challenge you to try it and see if it will make a difference over the next few months.

Make these 5 things even easier by downloading the 10-Minute Tidy Checklist here, so you always know what you can do to stay organized.