I was looking through an old notebook from Time Out For Women (2006), and came across some helpful tips for the home...so I thought I'd share! (I didn't write down who this is from, so I am sorry I can't give credit where credit is due! If any of you know who gave these tips, do tell!)
1. No meals on wheels. Sit down and eat at the table. *Keep the crumbs in ONE place.
2. Stop dirt at the door. *Sweep walkway, porch and entryway.
3. Don't make 2 jobs out of one. *Use splatter guard, cover things in the microwave, etc.
4. Make the moment count:
-Clean as you go
-Wipe as you work
-Pick up as you pass
-Look back as you leave
5. Leave any area better than you found it.
6. Clutter attracts clutter.
7. Develop a system rather than conduct a search. *Short-term filing, long-term filing, everyday purge/sort/select.
8. Assign a home to everything in the house. "Pick up is part of play."
"Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful." -- William Morris
9. Do today's work TODAY. *Mothers must be of good cheer before they can expect their family to be.
10. Skim before you scour. *Don't scrub anything before you wipe off everything. *Surface clean & then go deeper when you have the time and energy.
11. Be prepared. There is NO substitute for preparation!
12. Put the house to bed before you go to bed. *An ounce of evening is worth a pound of morning!
13. Keep house, don't clean house.
14. Revitalize your life by keeping the Sabbath.
15. Develop good habits. *It's just 3 weeks to a better me! (You know, they say it takes 21 days to develop a new habit! Don't give up!)
Friends, I found ALL of these tips to be useful back in 2006, yet what did I do with them? Not a darn thing. Closed the notebook and put it on a shelf never to be looked at again until 2011. Well, I think Heavenly Father knew that I would need them again and that's why He led me to them today. I am (and have been for a long time) completely unsatisfied with how I run my house...from laundry to dishes to meal planning/preparation to decorating it to make me happy to be in it. I know it's not January yet, but my resolution for 2012 is to start KEEPING my house. Making it a home that we are happy to be in and love to look at!
What are you planning on changing/adding to your list of goals for 2012? I'm curious to hear what y'all are going to be working on!
xoxo, Shari
2 comments:
That talk was by Daryl Hoole. I liked it too and I bought the book. I should probably crack that one open again :) This is something I struggle with too. I do well for awhile and then I get lazy again. I think you have to cut yourself some slack though. You had a move AND a baby this year! That makes it almost impossible to keep up on the house :) Good luck with your goal!
I have that goal too! Thanks for sharing such great tips. Good luck with your houseKEEPING!
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