This may make me sound like a total weirdo, but I am fine with admitting that one of my favorite things to do is TIDY. My daily chosen time for this is in the morning, right after breakfast and before starting my day.
Tidying can mean different things to different people, but to me it means doing things like making the bed, hanging up any stray clothes, putting away books or papers that were left out, putting breakfast dishes in the dishwasher, wiping off my black countertops that show everything, walking around the tile floor with the hand vac, straightening the couch pillows, and whatever else meets my eye that could use some attention. All of this takes about 15 minutes.
To you it may mean dealing with yesterday’s pile of unopened mail, putting in a load of laundry, or tidying your neglected to-do list by calling to schedule an overdue appointment or placing a grocery order - whatever takes the edge off the mental load that comes with visual clutter and incomplete tasks.
Does my version of tidy time seem a little obsessive and over the top? Maybe. Is it effective in bringing down my stress levels and setting me up for a good day? Definitely.
Now before we get too far, yes, I am a full blown but work-in-progress Type-A perfectionist, so much of my tidying comes from a NEED to be tidy far more than a WANT to be tidy. But putting that fact aside, I believe everyone, no matter what your personality type, can truly benefit from the peace that comes from having your home environment be an orderly and calming place. This is even more essential now that a lot of us are working from home. There’s not a whole lot we can control in society right now, but we can control our own home environment. So let’s take whatever peace we can get, wherever we can get it.
Once my 15 minutes of tidying is done, I can sit down to my computer or list of tasks for the day and get to work without having distractions in my line of sight, such as crumbs on the counter or a jacket on the floor. These untidy visuals may not sound like much of a problem, but they impact our psyche far more than we realize. Studies show that we are more productive and efficient when we are in visually distraction-free work environments (which for many of us right now are our homes), and we are able to relax, be calm, and feel much more at peace when our home environments are clean and decluttered.
Tidying is what KEEPS things clean and decluttered.
If you are like me and clutter makes you twitch, the 15 minute tidy is an enjoyable experience that can be looked forward to every morning. If you are not like me, give it a try anyway and see how it makes you feel. That pile of unopened mail or neglected sticky counter may be causing you more stress than you realize.
By keeping up with tidying each day, we not only relieve ourselves of the stress of looking at little messes every day, we also relieve ourselves of the major stress that comes from little messes turning into big messes, then having to do massive, full day clean-fests when we get to the point of not being able to take it anymore.
Mental health is so important when it comes to healing and staying healed, so why not give it a boost by trying a 15 minute tidy in your space today! Whether tidying brings you just a little peace or brightens your whole day, it’s well worth the effort.
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