Housework

It should be a habit to put everying in it's proper place, file documents, put away dishes, put clothes and shoes in the same closet each time. When you do this, it takes less time to find things, and stuff doesn't pile up to be sorted through when there's so much it seems overwhelming.

Do small chores when needed so they take just a little time. For example, everytime you walk into the kitchen, empty and load the dishwasher - only run it when full. Or when the clothes hamper is close to full take it to the laundry room and sort it right then. The idea here is that when you do things in small chunks they're less daunting, but when you let them pile up they can get overwhelming.

When you plan the week's activities, set aside a few hours for yourself to do whatever you want, finish that book, get out of the house, see a movie, whatever you need to relax a bit. You'll feel better when you get back to your chores, and if you're doing things in small chunks you won't have a pile of stuff to do to weigh down your mind while you're relaxing.

Use labor-saving appliances when they will save time, but don't waste time in order to use a gadget. For example, if you're going to chop up an onion, carrot, and celery to start a rough or soup, it might take longer to set up, use, and clean a food processor than it would to use a knife.

Allow time in your day for urgent tasks, interuptions, or suprises. And sometimes a task will take longer than you planned.

Think before you act, even for everyday tasks. You might see ways to combine chores, or change your method to reduce time and increase productivity. For example, due to habit, you might collect the laundry from every room before you sort and load the washer, but if you think about it, you might have two loads (one color, one white) from each room, and if you only wash one room's clothes at a time you'll not have to figure out where the clothes go when they're folded. (more laundry tips). The point is, there might be a better way than to do it the way you've always done.

If a task takes longer than you planned, maybe you forgot the preparation or clean up in your planning. If that's the case, you can use this lesson to help future planning.

For complex, or time consuming tasks, do them a bit at a time. You might take just a few minutes to organize your dishes, or closet, even though you can't do it all in one shot - eventually they'll be completely done and you'll wonder how you ever did it!

More organization tips

• Lists Setting up a calendar and lists to assist in the organization process.
• Message Center Setting up a central place for messages and important information.
• Are you organized? A quick quiz to find out how organized you are, and how much you can do to make yourself more organized.
• Make your own organizer Making your own organizer to track tasks and dates.
• Telephone tips Ways to save time and frustration with the telephone.
• Errands and appointments Making the most out of errands and appointments.
• Using short periods wisely What to do when you only have a few minutes.
• Mail How to handle mail efficiently.
• Housework Make housework more productive and effective.
• Company Preparing for, and entertaining, company.
• Company Kit Setting up a kit for when company arrives on short notice.
• Each evening Preparing for the following day.
• Simple tidying Life can be easier if you set up areas for situations, tyding up the whole house.
• Laundry Ways to save time and money with the laundry.
• Distributing the Burden You don't have to do it all yourself, you can share the load.
• Delegation How to delegate effectively.
• Child's room Keeping your kid's rooms tidy.
• Storage Where to put things.
• Pack rat How to avoid being a pack rat.
• Messy Closet Cleaning out a messy closet.
• Garage Sale How to have a successful garage sale.
• Moving Sorting through your stuff for a move.
• Prevention Some ideas to prevent cleaning chores.
• Odds and ends How to deal with odds and ends that just kind of show up to clutter a room.
• Organizing Your Home Basics of organization.

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