Life is busy – work, kids, pets, and well, just life! Most days it feels like the to-do list is too long to ever complete. This may be true, but there are countless ways to streamline your home chores and declutter your life. Here are some of the most effective ways we have seen at Zeal to help reduce the home-based chore noise:
- Delegate: Set up a system where certain tasks are delegated to different people in your home (or hire Zeal!). This way, you can focus on other things, like spending time with your family or enjoying your hobby.
- Remove the items you no longer use: If an item isn’t being used, don’t keep it around. Store it in a Container Store box, donate it to a charity, sell it on eBay, or toss it into the recycling bin. There is an astonishing correlation between the clutter in your home and mental clutter in your head! Think about how each time you pass by an item that you don’t need, or is in a place it doesn’t belong … it results in a thought of “oh, I need to return that!” or “I really need the kids to put that away.” After 30 times of this, how that adds up! Try to make an extra effort to move out items that don’t serve you a purpose the first time you see them, and take back those next 29 thoughts for something more valuable.
- Setup recurring help: Did you know you can set up scheduled servicing from your HVAC, plumber or electrician? Like scheduling landscapers to come weekly to mow, you can work with your home service providers to do seasonal home health checks. This helps reduce the likelihood of unplanned catastrophes such as your furnace taking a dump on you on the coldest night of the year at Christmas time! Stay ahead of it… this will save you time and money in the long run. No time to set this up and manage it? Hire a lifestyle or home manager to take care of all vendor management. At minimal cost to you, they will keep your home running smoothly all year long.
- Get organized: Start by creating systems for different items and chores like laundry, dishes, and laundry. Create a recurring plan for how to tackle these items within your schedule, and stick to it! We love the process of starting the dishwasher every night before bed, or consistently doing one load of laundry a day (and fold during kiddo bath time nightly)! By setting a recurring process for your chores, you start to create habits – and as habits form, your to-do list will feel less of a chore, and more of a natural rhythm to your day.
- Establish goals: Set realistic goals for yourself and stick to them. If too much stuff is a problem for you, start by setting a goal to remove 10 items a week from your home. After 10 successful weeks, you will have removed 100 items! If your kids are outgrowing clothes quickly, set a goal for the first of each quarter to donate all clothes that no longer fit them. Goals don’t have to be daily… but they should be consistent and attainable for the biggest impact.