Four Little Habits That Make a Big Difference

In the meantime, here are four habits you can develop to make your every day life a little neater:

If you’ve ever been late to work because you couldn’t find your keys (or wallet, purse, watch, shoes…), this is the habit you need to develop. Choose a spot, something safe but convenient, and make it your place. When you come into the house, walk straight to your place and put everything you use every day there: keys, purse, watch, wallet, favorite pen, daily planner, phone.

When you wake up and are rushing out the door, everything will be there waiting just as you left it! You will have to come up with another excuse for being late to work, though.

Don’t skip if you can help it! Dishes have an uncanny way of piling up obnoxiously fast, so don’t let them have the chance. Pick a time every day to wash the dishes or load the dishwasher. You might do it in the morning, as soon as you get up, or wash all of the dishes right after dinner. It will seem like a chore at first, but an empty sink and clean dishes are their own reward.

A made bed pulls a room together faster than just about anything. It’s an instant bedroom makeover, and it only takes a couple of minutes. The best time to do it is the minute you get out of bed (or as soon as you’re awake enough to figure out which way the comforter goes). Waiting encourages procrastination, the eternal enemy of good habits.

Take a moment every day to clean up for just 15 minutes. Walk from room to room, pick up trash that has been missed, move clothes to the places they belong, and put everything back in its place. If you do this every day, your house will stay tidy all the time.