Happy New Year!
2019 is finally here, and I couldn’t be more excited. The beginning of the year is like the beginning of a new chapter. It’s a line that separates the future from the past, and I love the optimism that comes along with opening up a new calendar.
If you are looking forward to making good changes in your life this year, but aren’t quite sure where to start, I am happy to offer a couple of suggestions from my own wheelhouse. At the risk of sounding hyperbolic, I really believe that keeping a clean and well managed home can have an enormous impact on one’s health, stress, and anxiety, and there’s no better place to start with your New Year’s resolutions than to commit to maintaining a clean and tidy lifestyle. And it doesn’t have to be a lot of work if you do little things every day. Here are some places to start. Happy New Year!
Wash Dishes
Who hasn’t, after a long day and a good meal, left the dishes in the sink overnight with the promise that you’ll “get to them tomorrow”? I’ve done it! But let’s stop lying to ourselves – we’re no less busy tomorrow than we are today, and the more you put it off, the more of a chore it becomes. Make a practice of washing your pots, pans, knives and cutting boards WHILE you cook, and you’ll have less of a mess when you’re finished eating. If you have a dishwasher, then all you’ll have to do after dinner is pop everything in! If not, don’t wait! Your tomorrow self with thank your today self for giving them less to do and keeping the kitchen tidy.
Less is more!
I don’t know about you, but by the end of the year my closets are stuffed to the brim, and I can hardly recall how it’s gotten so out of hand! The New Year is a great opportunity to sort through what all is cluttering your life and sort out whatever you no longer need or use. For each item you own, take it and really ask yourself what value it brings to your life. If you don’t use it with the frequency it deserves, give it up! If it doesn’t bring joy to your life to use, give it up! If they do, then put, them in a “keep” pile to put where they go once you’re done. If it’s important to you to avoid regaining clutter, commit to give something up anytime you get something new – that will help you decide if that new thing you’re thinking about getting is really worth while!
Clean Bathrooms
Nothing sneaks up on me like a dirty bathroom. I’ll spend an entire afternoon cleaning it top to bottom, and two weeks later I’m right back where I started. Don’t wait until it gets so bad! When you’re finished in the shower, use a squeegee to wipe down glass doors to keep hard water from staining the glass. Use a daily cleaner to keep grime from building up, and a drain catcher to keep hair from clogging the pipes. Keep a light vacuum nearby to sweep up loose hair all on the floor, and wipe down the mirror and surfaces to keep toothpaste and water from building up and looking gross! If you do this as you use it, you save yourself those all-day-bathroom cleaning sessions.
