A Clean House

A speaker in my class last week said that your house will never be cleaner than when you are working and going to school.  That resonated with me so much.  

When the assignments and projects are done, and I have a day of work in the office behind me, I  find just about anything "productive" to do around the house besides studying.  Procrastination is by far the biggest problem that I have as a student. I love checking the "easy" things off of my to-do list, and it is just so much harder to do that when your "to-do list" says "STUDY!"

At any rate, I thought I would provide my tips on keeping a clean house constantly, so that you can't using "cleaning the house" as a way to procrastinate for 3 hours.  

1.  A place for everything.

What I mean by this is, have a place for everything and put it there.  If over-organization stresses you out, it is okay to have a few junk drawers to catch things you can't categorize elsewhere.  I have one- it holds scissors, candle wax, my tape measure, extra pieces to assembled furniture, etc.

If you have a place for everything and you put it there, this amazing thing happens- you can actually find what you are looking for!

2.  Pick up after yourself.

If you pick up after yourself as you go, I promise your life will have so much less stress and your house will always (appear) clean.  Even if you haven't vacuumed in a week or can't remember the last time you dusted, if you keep your environment picked up, it will always appear clean to outsiders.

3.  Know thyself.

This is important in all sorts of areas of life, but also applies to keeping your house clean.  You need to know what is important for you and recognize your habits.  

For example, my dad sends me a letter every week.  I love them and I could never bear to part with them.  Nor can I bear to part with cards received from friends for holidays, birthdays, etc.  So, I have a designated spot for these.  I keep them in a little box.  I don't know how I will store them long-term, but this works for now.

4.  "Clean" a little bit each day.

This article from realsimple.com offers a plethora of great tips on cleaning.  These tips have helped me greatly.  Some of them are just total common sense, but reading them in black & white can help a lot.

On this point of "cleaning" every day, I also have a few cardinal rules for myself:

1. As long as I haven't overslept, I make my bed in the morning.  It is amazing how much better you feel when your bed is made.
2. I never, ever, ever leave dishes in the sink.  If I have time to cook, that means I have time to clean it up.  My only exception to this is if the dishwasher is running.  I empty the dishwasher after I've run it. I usually run it at night, so I empty it the next morning.
3. Pick up before you go to bed.  Straighten the couch cushions and pillows, put any stray dishes or cups in the dishwasher, fold up blankets and put them away.
4. Take out the trash when it is full.  'Nuff said.

I hope these tips help for people out there reading.  By no means is my apartment always clean, but I try to keep it neat at minimum.  It just helps me stay calm and focused.