Maintain

Everything is the way you want it… for now. But what falls apart when life starts happening? No need to worry, it’s just a part of the process-the maintenance process. If you put everything in place and that area only stays the way you want it for a few days or even a few hours, then that system is not working for you. It is common to feel frustrated or discouraged for not being able to keep your space neat but this is not a reflection of you, just of the system you are using.

For example, if you can never keep on top of your clothes, look at your habits. If your dirty clothes end up in a predictable pile on the floor, put your hamper in that area. If you finish drying your clothes but don’t feel like folding them and putting them away, get a designated basket for your clean clothes rather than creating a clean clothes pile. It is important to contain everything so you don’t feel like your clothes are dirty by the time you are ready to fold them because they’ve been sitting out in the open somewhere. If you avoid putting your clothes away because you don’t know where to put them, don’t just throw them in a drawer. Take the time to look in your drawers and organize them according to what works for you. Every type of clothing should have a place. Find a home for everything and ensure it’s home makes sense for you and your habits. If you simply cannot get started on the laundry, time yourself. If you spend more time feeling frustrated by not having clean clothes, looking for clothes, or thinking “I need to do the laundry”, compare the time it takes to actually do the laundry to the amount of time spent on thinking about doing the laundry. Another trick is to add laundry to another habit. After you brush your teeth put clothes in the washer, before you leave for school/work put clothes in the dryer, before your bedtime routine, fold the clothes and put them away. Find what habits work for you to tie together.

Be gentle with yourself in finding what maintenance systems work for you. Notice how you feel after completing daily routines and take a moment to reflect on that feeling compared to the feeling of being overwhelmed by systems that don’t work. With the right maintenance you won’t feel overwhelmed because you know what to do and how to do it. Starting the process takes less time and doing the process becomes second-nature. It is totally okay to have an off-day and having the right systems in place help you pick right back up where you left off.