Raise your hand if you wish you had a tidier home.

And raise your other hand if you wish your home would just magically get tidy on its own.

Now that we’re all sitting here with both hands in the air, it’s time to talk about how we can make our dreams come true. You are still going to have to make some effort, but I have a few easy steps that will make getting a tidy home feel like far less work than you think.

Best of all, you can start these low-effort ways to get a tidier home today. So go ahead and put your hands down for now – unless you want to wave goodbye first to all that clutter that’s about to become a thing of the past!

1. Start small habits you can practice each day

Look at your daily routine and find places where you can fit in small but regular tidying habits that you can realistically practice every day. Maybe you’ll start emptying the dishwasher each morning while your coffee is brewing or give your shower a quick spritz with a leave-on spray every time you finish showering.

Consider introducing one or two new habits at the start of each week so you don’t get overwhelmed by trying to do too many new tasks at once.

2. Focus on surfaces

When your home is super messy, it’s easy to feel too discouraged to even get started with tidying. I find that focusing on surfaces is a great way to make an entire room look neater when you’re short on time.

You don’t need to get out the vacuum or mop; just grab a basket and garbage bag and go through reach room. Toss the rubbish, and place all the clutter on your countertops in the basket – you can always organise the basket later if you’re in a rush. Simply having clear surfaces can make your house look a lot tidier instantly.

3. Give everything a home

Often, the items that never seem to get put away are the ones that don’t really have a proper home. When you assign a specific place to keep each item in your home, it’s far easier to just go around and collect wayward items and put them back where they need to be. This is especially important for your kids – they can’t put things away if they don’t know where they belong!

If you have anything lying around that falls into this category, give it a home right now, and make sure everyone knows where to store it the next time they get it out. A good way to spot some of these items is to keep a close eye on those bits and pieces that keep getting shuffled around without ever being stored away properly.

4. Find small moments for small tasks

We discussed adding some daily habits, but what about those things that only need done every once in a while? If you look closely, I bet you can find a few minutes here and there in which you can fit in some of these tasks.

For example, while you’re waiting for your pasta water to boil tonight, go through the fridge and pantry to see if it’s time to toss anything that has expired. Instead of hunkering down on the sofa when a friend calls to catch up, dust your shelves or clean out drawers while you’re talking. Take advantage of commercial breaks on TV tonight to fold laundry or sort your mail. All these small moments can really add up over time!

5. Store cleaning supplies near where they are used

I love the idea of having a cleaning supply cabinet, but I know that for many people, the prospect of having to haul everything out when it’s time to clean and put it back later is enough to keep them from even getting started.

If that sounds like you, you might find it far more convenient to keep everything where you use it. When your countertop cleaner is under the kitchen sink, it’s easy to whip it out and spray down the counter when you’re finished doing the dishes after dinner. Likewise, keeping disinfectant wipes or a spray and cloth in a bathroom cabinet means you’ll have no excuse not to wipe down your bathroom surfaces after you get ready in the morning.

Having a tidier home while juggling family responsibilities does take a little effort, but you don’t have to go into full housekeeper mode every day to keep your home looking nice when you adopt these simple approaches.

If you want to go deeper and do a good declutter, and get rid of the items that are taking up space (both physical and mental), and are no longer serving you, I have something very valuable to offer you.
I have a FREE GUIDE – called ‘The Ultimate Declutter Formula’ – it’s a handy 1 pager PDF with just 6 simple steps to help you crack the declutter code once and for all. Go get it here.

Love,

Nakita xxx