“The first hour is the rudder of the day.” - Henry Ward Beecher
Let’s face it. Mornings can be tough. In many homes, they are famous for containing too much to do and too little time.
But mornings set the mood for the rest of our day. They have the potential to energize us or drain us. They have the opportunity to lift our spirits or drag us down. They can start us on the right foot or the wrong foot.
Given the fact that mornings are so important, it’s wise to spend a few minutes each night preparing your house for tomorrow’s sunrise. After all, a clutter-free house in the morning means less stress, less anxiety, and less time getting prepared for the day. And that benefits everyone in the home!
Contrary to popular misconception, you don’t need to spend hours each night cleaning the house to accomplish a clutter-free morning. Instead, simply stay ahead of the clutter by tackling these ten 60-second decluttering projects before you go to bed each night.
1. Return shoes/coats to closets. In the winter, add gloves, hats, and scarves to the routine.
2. Recycle junk mail and newspapers. A new day brings new mail and new news. Keep your table or counter space clutter-free in the morning by removing today’s.
3. Put away articles of clothing. Some go in the laundry. Some go back in the closet. But none should be left on the floor.
4. Store media out of sight. Put back all dvd’s, cd’s, video games, and remote controls that were used during the day. The first time you walk into that room tomorrow, you’ll be glad you did.
5. Process coins and receipts. I’m sure it was your husband who left the contents of his pockets on your dresser, but either way, it’ll take you only 60 seconds to put those items where they actually belong.
6. Clear all bathroom surfaces. The first place you’ll go in the morning is the bathroom. It’s also a surprisingly easy room to keep clutter free. Invest the 60 seconds every night to make it happen.
7. Clean-up homework. Get your kids into the habit of putting away their schoolwork each night before bed rather than scrambling around each morning to find it.
8. Put kitchen items away. Granted, I’m assuming you’ve done some cleaning up already after dinner. And if you have, it’ll only take you another 60 seconds to tidy up anything that got left out.
9. Put back toys. Realistically, life doesn’t allow a clean toy room every evening. But if you have a toy room apart from your living room, spend 60 seconds returning toys to the room where they belong. Or better yet, get your kids into the practice of doing it themselves.
10. File paperwork. Stay on top of paper and office clutter by handling it the day it arrives.
If you are not in the habit of doing these things, it’ll definitely take longer than 10 minutes the first time. But once you get a handle on each area, the entire project will take you less than 10 minutes… and your morning you will thank you!
Image: BeatPlusMelody
{ 29 comments… read them below or add one }
Great list. I started something like this a few weeks ago to get me from coming home and watching tv “for just a little bit” to accomplishing a few tasks of putting a few things away that usually annoy me and are things I dread doing before bed. Simple things like putting my bike and commuting things away, put work clothes away and any laundry that might be hanging to dry the night before, take care of lunch dishes as well as breakfast dishes, and unload the dishwasher if necessary. I have a few other but haven’t stuck with them, but will keep them on the list and add some you have to see if I can get the nightly routine done under 10min.
Fantastic list. I do most of them already, but need to get a bit more routine on some others.
That is a great Tip, Joshua. Very very simple, but very effektiv to getting a good start in the day!
kind regards
Matthias
Thanks for the sound advice!
It seems common sense but it’s not. It’s really important to keep it clean and organize by this small steps. the problem is to convince the husband and the kids to follow the same rules. I have this feeling kids are easier to convince and follow.
Thanks for the list, it makes mornings a lot easier. Another rule for the ladies, think about what you want to dress the next day and leave it prepared. I found that this rules saves a lot of time!
So true. I spent several years working in restaurants and one of the things you did when you were closing up for the night, was to clean and prepare everything for the next mornings opening. I still carry that habit with me now. (That and keeping an 86 chalkboard in the kitchen ;)
Well said, Josh. It is VERY important to get the kids involved. When a family starts its day this way, Mom and Dad set a great example for the kids, and the kids are creating a wonderful routine that will serve them throughout their lives.
Love this list but 10 minutes? I think I’ll do 10 minutes before bedtime to get the morning list down closer to 10 minutes, too! LOL
I always make sure the kettle is full before I go to bed, that way all I have to is flick the switch to start the coffee process in the morning. For some unknown reason this always makes me feel very organised and starts my day off well.
I have a thing about kettles…sorry…nickel from stainless steel can leach if sitting or worse if its plastic. Bugs can crawl in over night (have found some). Also its more energy efficient to not boil a full jug each time, unless of course you are serving eight or so people. :)
When I leave the house for work in the morning, I take a few minutes to walk through each room and put away anything that is out of place and align things neatly on the kitchen counter, neatly fold and hang up the kitchen towel on the stove handle, wipe down the counter in the bathroom, etc. I stand in the entrance doorway of my home which opens directly into the kitchen and look at my house as a stranger would. Is it welcoming in its cleanliness and sense of order? Does it accurately reflect my inner quiet? Is it a place that ‘vibrates’ with a present moment attention to detail? Is it a place that I would feel comfortable offering to a dignitary or someone I hold in great esteem to stay in? Is it a beautiful and comfortable place of sanctuary for ME when I return home after a hard day at work?
I always do it. I like having nothing around when I wake up. I always clean the kitchen before going to bed, it could be weird, but there is nothing on my appliances because it creates me chaos when I cook; I always fix the clothes in the closet because I would never not bear clothes on my chair! So everything is always more spacious in the morning :)
I love waking up to an uncluttered house! We used to be really disciplined, with the evening tidying-up, and it just started the day off a lot better. It goes even quicker, with fewer possessions, so we really need to get back to it, after our current round of “purging.”
I’ve been implementing many of these ideas for a while, and love waking up to a clear, simple house every morning (well, almost every morning. Occasionally arriving home late means I can’t get it all reset).
Thanks for the reminder of the night-time reset.
procrastination is the main reason for clutter accumulating in our homes.Clutter is difficult to get rid of and always ready to sneak back if we don’t stay alert.stop procrastinating and start decluttering…and what better time than the morning itself?
While I think this is very good advice, I have to say I’m amazed that anyone would wait until the end of the day. In our family, we go by the rule that after you use it you put it away. With bills and all other mail, it’s “handle it once”, meaning don’t look at it and put it somewhere to handle later. Take care of it now. With newspapers (we only get one on Sundays) the inserts are put in recycling immediately, then the newspaper is put in the newspaper basket and anyone who takes out a section to read it, puts it back when they’re done reading it. Our kids put homework away as soon as they’re done. No dishes lay around in the kitchen. Whoever used them puts them in the dishwasher. Books, toys, electronics are all put in their places when not in use. Before going to bed, everyone puts away the one or two things they’re using, puts their clothes in the hamper (if necessary), leaves the bathroom as they found it (uncluttered), and turns out the light for good night’s sleep. If you procrastinate during the day or leave things around, nighttime becomes drudgery, as does morning, because things have gotten out of hand!
I really like your handle it once idea.
Thanks! This has been an incredible way to minimize the clutter of everyday life. It works for papers from school, USPS mail, e-mails, phone messages,laundry, dirty dishes, etc. Anything you handle, handle it just once: pay it, answer it, return in, throw it away, recycle it, file it, put it in the dishwasher, put it in the drawer/closet … almost anything. There is never clutter. Everything in its place (and hopefully a place for everything!). Works when doing outside chores as well!
This is a great list. We have informally followed almost the same routine since moving to our small house. In the morning, I’m the last one to take a shower and leave the house. When I’m done with the shower, I spray white vinegar and water on the shower stall walls and use a squeege to get rid of the drops. It takes one more minute to spritz the vanity mirror and sink, then wipe it all with a paper towel. I take a quick wipe at the outside of the toilet and throw the piece away and then continue in with my routine (while I am still wet!). If I do this, we are never embarassed when someone needs to use our bathroom. If there is one room I hate slime, it’s in the bathroom! Well…. the kitchen too!
I love simple truths like this. So easy to forget but so easy to do too if you set your mind to it.
Tidying before bed is so simple, yet so easy to NOT do. I am finding that the more we minimize, the less I even have to do this. The house feels better to wake up in just because there is less stuff. BUT there is still plenty of room for improvement!
As far as toys go, we have very few, but I find that if I not only clean them up but rearrange them slightly as well, the kids are much more likely to engage in quiet play–making my mornings even better!
Awesome post, thanks for sharing.
I do some of these things in the evening, just before bed, so in the morning there’s less to worry about. I have found that I’m far more focused in the morning when I’ve cleaned up a bit, it gets me in a mood!
If I don’t do these things of an evening, I certainly regret it the next morning! I love waking up to a clutter free house.
I also agree with the ‘handle it once’ concept. I deal with paper immediately – notice board, recycling bin or file storage. I am teaching this concept to my kids. My 8yr old daughter is getting really adept at cleaning up after herself.
It’s fantastic how free just spending a few minutes a day can make us!
Gosh, that isn’t just a good minimalist idea to create a clutter free morning – I can promise you – this is an ADHD riddled adult’s SURVIVAL list!!! I went from crazed to Zen by applying this sort of daily management of all those crazy messy little things. :-)
One of the simplest things I have done to remove both physical and mental clutter from my life is to take the junk mail from the letterbox and put it directly in the recycling. As well as not cluttering up my kitchen counter, I am not constantly coveting the things being marketed to me and imagining I would somehow be a different person if I had them.
I do many of these things most evenings and it makes a difference. I fill the kettle too and I am set to spend a 1/2 hour or a little more of quiet time with my journal before the rest of the household awakens. This has been a basic sanity practice for 20 years. ;)
Great list! For me, a good morning also requires laying out the next day’s outfit, complete with underwear, jewelry and shoes, as well as deciding on what will be for breakfast. The fewer decisions I have to make in the morning, the better I function.
Thankyou for these great tips. We don’t do many of them, so hope to start afresh.
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