Everyone has routines. Learning that was powerful. What’s even more powerful is learning that creating better routines can improve your life drastically without changing your life drastically. That sounds crazy but, it’s true. By creating a few new habits, you can improve your home, your attitude, your finances and your life. Do you struggle to keep up with your laundry, to put things away, or getting everyone out the door on time in the morning? Adopting three simple habits to can change all of that. Try them and delight in your new and better normal.
The miracle laundry routine
First, with a family of six or less, I guarantee creating a routine to complete a full load of laundry daily makes a hugely positive difference. Don’t believe me? Try it for one month and let me know how it goes. To clarify, completing a load of laundry means washing, drying, FOLDING and putting the laundry away. Don’t leave it in a laundry basket for someone else to fold. Don’t leave it in a basket for someone else to put away. Do the entire load of laundry from start to finish in one day and do that for 30 days, at least 5 days per week, unless you do your laundry at the laundromat. I know how overwhelming that sounds, but I promise your your hands on time is less than your think. Sorting, switching, folding, hanging and putting away an entire load of clothes takes less than 15 minutes. Not kidding. That’s the amount of time your hands actually touch the clothes. It’s amazing and eye opening.
The benefits of your new laundry routine
How will your view of laundry change because of one load per day routine? The dirty clothing pile shrinks which boosts you emotionally. It’s likely is you’ll find out you have more clothes than you need, and they won’t fit in the drawer and closet space you have. Sell the clothes to make money, donate them and deduct them on your taxes or give them to someone who truly needs them. Regardless, you help yourself while blessing others with your surplus by creating a daily laundry routine. You reduce the clutter in your home and create a better living space by letting go of your excess. Plus, you save money by buying less because you can find what you need when you need it. I know you still don’t believe the less than 15 minutes with your hands on the clothes, but it’s true. The trick is figuring out the best time to start the washer so the clothes go in the dryer rather than sit in the washer getting stinky. Maybe the answer lies in your evening routine.
The magic of creating an evening routine
One of the most powerful ways to take your life to the next level quickly is to create an evening routine. So many people talk and write about how a morning routine makes your day better. What if the true power of a great day is in your evening routine? Night owls take note. I am a morning person, but I wasn’t always that way. I was born a night owl but ten years of getting up before 6am with high school kids helped me appreciate mornings. Believe it or not, creating an empowering evening routine made that happen. Again, try it for 30 days and let me know what happens. Take 15 minutes to pick up, load the dishwasher, wash dishes, look at your calendar for the next day (get one if you don’t have one), pick out clothes for yourself and your children, pack lunches and make a list of things to do the next day. I know you think that doing all of that in fifteen minutes is impossible if you don’t do any of it now. Truthfully, your first few attempts will take longer. Within a few days, though, your evening routine gets easier, and more amazingly your mornings get better too. Still not convinced about the 15 minute idea? Read The Magic of Fifteen Minutes to see how to make this work for you. If you struggle with it, send an email to whatsup@movingtowardbetter.com with your particular challenge, and we’ll figure it out together.
Goodbye clutter, hello peace
Third, get rid of anything in your home that you don’t love or doesn’t serve a purpose. If you love it, keep it. If it’s useful, it stays, but don’t keep anything you hate because of others’ feelings. This is incredibly difficult for some personality types. Everyone has relatives or friends that give away things that they don’t want to people they think might want them. Most of the time, people keep it because they don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings, but guess what? They got rid of it because it no longer fit in their life. They had no problem parting with it. Why should you? Decluttering what no longer serves you or your family makes space for a better life for everyone. When you apply this in your home, you can thank your friend or relative for unwanted items while offering to pass it along to someone who would appreciate it. They may balk at first because they want you to be grateful for the used or maybe even new gift they gave you. You can explain that while you are grateful they thought of you, since neither of you can use that item right now, you will happily give it to someone who can.
Creating your decluttering process
Here’s a decluttering caveat, and you may not like it. Decluttering is a lifelong process. Things you loved years ago lose their appeal, and it’s OK to give them away, even if they are valuable. I gave away a valuable Disney piece to someone once who loves it to this day. People told me to sell it, but the joy on that person’s face was worth more than what the piece was worth. If you need the money, by all means, sell what you no longer want, but sometimes it feels better to give things away. I understand sentiment. I have decorative plates that adorned my parents’ wall growing up. I’ve never displayed them in my home, but I still love them. The thing is, someday I’ll be gone, and my children want little to nothing of the things in our home. I’m guessing your children won’t either. Instead of leaving your children with a mess of my sentimentality, regularly let go of things. Offer to keep them if your children truly want them, but if they don’t, get rid of them. One of the best questions you can ask yourself is, “If I had the perfect place to display this item, would I?” If the answer is no, let it go.
Can you create fun routines?
I once thought routines prevented fun, and schedules killed spontaneity. I was wrong. It took time to make peace with routines, but life got better when I did. Have you ever heard the phrase, mind your own business? In the US, when someone tells you to mind your own business, it’s not a nice thing. It basically means you’re inserting yourself into others” business without an invitation. Ironically, it’s precisely when we do mind our own business that we live our best lives. With routines and minding your own business you address your piles of clothes and paper instead of avoiding them. You take control of your home and move forward. Happiness flows and martyrdom and anger leave. You feel freer and have more fun, just because of creating routines and following them regularly. So, are you ready to invest a few minutes daily to have a life that’s better every day?
What to do next
Creating routines is a great start to a better life but, it’s a small part of a much bigger picture and one that is worth exploring more. Your personality has so much to do with how you succeed, and it’s fascinating to explore. To learn more about how your personality affects nearly every aspect of your life and your success, sign up below for the Moving Toward Better email community. At Moving Toward Better we help you live your best life powered by your personality. You can start with the article Which of the four personality types are you? To go more in depth, check out Positive Personality Profiles or sign up for your own personality assessment and consultation. As always, thanks for being you and have a great day. Also check out DISCover Your Team’s Potential and schedule your own DISC assessment or group training by clicking here.
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