Home organization is not a one-time commitment. To encourage discipline, homeowners need to establish a routine. They must be ready to spend time organizing their living space every once in a while – after all, routine is the enabler of organized living space. This article aims to address just that. From learning to make a house cleaning schedule to setting up reminders, this article aims to help homeowners fight clutter.

This helpful article explains how the routine-setting technique works. Take a peek if you want to keep your space perpetually clean.

The psychological benefits of home organizational routines

Before jumping to the tips and tricks, the psychological benefits of adopting routines for home organization must first be discussed.

A routine is a set of activities done at regular intervals. This regularity is beneficial in establishing structure and predictability for one’s life. Without focus and self-control, temporary impulses can mislead you into making decisions that are not in your best interest. A routine allows your conscious choices to dictate your day, sidelining fleeting distractions.

Routines give us a sense of safety as children, and as adults, they provide a sense of purpose. Both feelings stem from the comfort of familiarity and from knowing how to handle situations based on past experience.

An established routine will then help individuals feel more in control, make better decisions, and stick to healthy habits like exercising. Daily and weekly routines can reduce stress, improve sleep, better health, and increase happiness.

This is also true for home organization. In addition to the health benefits mentioned above, the power of routines can help homeowners prevent clutter from creeping back into the living space. In case you did not know, clutter can burden the brain’s limited capacity for functioning and lead to loss of focus and stress. That means a good routine equals a clutter-free environment equals peace of mind.

Read more: Stop Procrastinating, Start Decluttering 

Developing a customizable cleaning routine

First, know that forming a habit requires preparation. Does that sound obvious? Yes. However, people usually undermine the importance of preparation and then struggle with inconsistency.

People often fail to act on their intentions when the opportunity arises simply because they forget to enact the intended action. The study suggests that planning significantly increases the likelihood of performing that intended behavior.

To enhance the likelihood of performing the intended behavior, one must consider three aspects of routines: practicality, consistency, and motivation. These fundamentals are important and can be applied to the context of, say, establishing cleaning schedules for the home. The fundamentals will also help homeowners establish a daily routine over the long term.

Establishing consistent cleaning habits can be challenging. But worry not. This article will give you tips and tricks on how to customize the cleaning routine for your home. Though, before that, remember that there is no “right” way to organize your home. Everyone can tailor their house cleaning routine however they want.

These tips and tricks are only a glimpse of the essentials to help you and your family achieve an organized living space.

Practicality

To establish a fruitful routine, you must be practical. This means being realistic about what you can and can’t do. For example, you might want to deep clean your house every week for optimum cleanliness, but that’s not realistic if you have a full-time job.

Being aware of the practical restrictions of the routine you are trying to develop will help you create habits that perfectly suit your needs.

Assess the time, space, and possible obstacles before creating a routine. For example, based on your convenience, you must set a realistic target to start your cleaning journey. A routine should be complementing, not burdening. Here are some examples of practicality in action:

• Identify contexts and plan. Decide on specific times each day and week for cleaning tasks. For example, spend 15 minutes each morning tidying up and dedicate an hour on Saturday mornings for deeper cleaning. Plan what tasks must be done daily (e.g., making the bed, washing dishes) and weekly (e.g., vacuuming, mopping).
• Choose salient cues. Use noticeable cues to remind you of your cleaning tasks, such as a specific song or alarm daily and weekly. Associate cleaning tasks with existing daily routine schedules, like cleaning the kitchen right after breakfast or tidying the living room while watching TV in the evening.
• Break unwanted habits. If you have a habit of procrastinating on cleaning, change your environment to make cleaning easier. For instance, cleaning supplies should be kept readily accessible. Replace the habit of ignoring messes with the habit of immediate action, like putting away items as soon as you’re done using them.

Read more: Procrastination at Home: Causes, Effects, and Solutions 

Consistency

After the planning is done, you must muster consistency. This is important because homeowners might skip some chores just because they have to do other things. Remember, you need to allocate your time for cleaning. Never wait for the “right” time.

To realize this, you should prepare a reminder that can trigger you to do the task. This will encourage repetition and increase the likelihood of a routine becoming automatic. Here is how to get more consistent:

• Self-monitoring and positive feedback. Keep a cleaning schedule checklist or calendar to track your activities. Check off tasks as you complete them to see your progress. Reward yourself with small treats or breaks after completing your tasks to stay motivated. Acknowledge the satisfaction of having a clean space.
• Simplicity and salient cues. Start with simple tasks that can be easily incorporated into your daily activities. Gradually add more tasks as you get comfortable. Use cues that are naturally part of your day, like cleaning up after meals or before going to bed.

Motivation

Repetition can be very boring. This is when you need motivation the most. It can be in the form of little rewards, such as a nice cup of coffee after chores or your favorite pastry.

Most importantly, the motivation needs to come from a bigger purpose. You need to enjoy the thought of a comfortable living space.

You should ensure the routine gives you personal satisfaction to maintain consistent motivation. This can help keep track of progress, giving you a sense of control. Here is the breakdown:

• Intrinsic motivation and support. Focus on the intrinsic benefits of cleaning, such as a sense of accomplishment and a more pleasant living environment. Seek support from family members or roommates to share the cleaning responsibilities and encourage each other.
• Reminders and reinforcement. Place reminders, like sticky notes or smartphone notifications, in areas where cleaning tasks need to be done. Reinforce your cleaning intentions by reflecting on how good it feels to maintain a clean space.

Example of home cleaning routine

After giving the basics, here are examples of daily, weekly, and monthly routines that you can adopt at home.

Daily cleaning routine

A daily cleaning routine should consist of low-energy but high-impact tasks that you can successfully complete in a day without any issues. Think about the repetitive things you do every day and develop a routine that streamlines them.

You can also divide them into different chronological periods to make it easier. Here’s a sample list:

• Morning:
  • Make the bed.
  • Tidy up the kitchen after breakfast (wash dishes, wipe counters).
• Afternoon:
  • Do a quick tidy-up of living areas (put away clutter, straighten cushions).
• Evening:
  • Clean up after dinner (wash dishes, wipe down stove and counters).
  • Quick bathroom check (wipe the sink, put away toiletries).
  • Take out the trash if needed.
  • Prepare for the next day (lay out clothes, organize work items).

Weekly cleaning routine

A weekly cleaning routine should cover tasks that are not required daily but are essential to keep your home in good condition throughout the week. It can take but a moment, yet the benefits can free your mind. Here’s a sample list:

• Monday:
  • Dust furniture and surfaces in the living room and bedrooms.
• Tuesday:
  • Vacuum carpets and rugs.
  • Sweep and mop hard floors.
• Wednesday:
  • Clean mirrors and windows.
• Thursday:
  • Change bed linens.
  • Laundry (wash, dry, fold, and put away clothes).
• Friday:
  • Wipe down appliances (microwave, refrigerator, oven).
• Saturday:
  • Rest day for relaxation or social activities.
• Sunday:
  • Plan for the upcoming week (meal planning, grocery list, schedule review).

Monthly cleaning routine

A monthly cleaning routine involves tasks that require less frequent attention. However, these tasks will drain your time and energy, so be flexible and allocate them whenever you are available. Here’s a sample list:

• Deep clean the kitchen (scrub sink, clean inside microwave and fridge). Depending on the amount of work you have done in the kitchen, you can do this bi-weekly or monthly.
• Deep clean the bathroom (scrub shower/tub, toilet, sink, floors). You can divide the work throughout the month as long as you can ensure there is no slip-and-trip hazard around.
• Organize and declutter one specific area (closet, pantry, desk). You can do one room per month instead of the whole house.
• Clean the light fixtures and ceiling fans. You can also clean them before and after each time you are hosting parties or expecting a number of guests.
• Inspecting and replacing filters (ventilation, AC, water filters). If you do not have much time, you can clean one facility per month. 

In conclusion

Cleanliness does not wait for you to be available – it is you who must allocate time and energy for it. As a busy fellow, one can easily forget this responsibility and eventually find their home cluttered with filthy god-knows-what. To avoid that, this article is your recipe for success.

Discipline is key. Through proper planning, utilization of reminders, and good motivation, you can maintain an organized living space and free yourself from the mental burden clutter can bring. So, why wait? Let’s take the next step toward a clutter-free living space.

If you would like to see more resources on routine, check out the Home Organization Science Labs. The lab uses the research of the Institute for Life Management Science to produce courses, certifications, podcasts, videos, and other tools. Visit the Home Organization Science Labs today.

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