Do It Now: The Secret to a Tidy Home

What if one of the simplest ways to reduce the chaos in your home and lighten your mental load was to stop putting the little things off and just do them now? Could finishing those small tasks in the moment be the key to a calmer home and a clearer mind? Keep reading!

It’s easy to tell ourselves, “I’ll do that later,” as we set the mail on the counter, leave the shoes by the door, and walk past the small messes because we don’t think we have the time right now. After all, one small delay doesn’t feel like a big deal in the moment.

But those small tasks have a way of piling up — not just in our homes, but in our minds. They sit on our to-do list, quietly draining our energy and adding to our mental load until our home feels like disorganized chaos, and we have no idea where to start.

What could have been 50 two-minute projects turns into a massive weekend overhaul… all because we put things off until later.

After 20 years of watching this play out in my own home and in the lives of many friends and family, I feel pretty confident that the secret to a tidy home isn’t more time, better systems, or a perfect routine.

It’s simply this: do it now.

The secret to a tidy home = Do It Now

Most of the tasks we put off until “later” can be accomplished in a matter of minutes.

This is especially true with children, as they tend to overestimate how long certain tasks will take.

And when we put the tasks off until “later ” (whenever later might be), these lingering to-dos become one more weight in our already too-heavy mental load of things we’re trying to remember.

I know you can relate… and I have a simple solution!

Time Your Tasks

If you (like my children) are not convinced of how quickly various household chores are accomplished, break out your timer and literally time yourself (or your kids) doing each task.

Here’s a set of fun colored timers — one for everyone!

Write down your times, post them on the fridge, and the next time someone says they don’t have time to clean out the dishwasher or put the clothes away, remind them of how quickly they’ve done it in the past!

And when you have 5 minutes while you’re waiting for water to boil or on hold with someone on the phone, use that time to cross off a few 3-4 minute tasks!

Curious what our family’s times were?

• Vow to stop procrastinating – 1 second 😉
• Toss something in the trash or recycling – 10 seconds
• Take your vitamins – 10 seconds
• Hang up your coat/bag when you walk in the door – 20 seconds
• Put something away after you get it out – 30 seconds
• Get the mail – 1 minute
• Toss any junk mail – 1 minute
• Put pillows and blankets back on the couch (why is this so difficult!?!) – 1 minute
• Wipe down 1 window or mirror – 1 minute
• Wash your hands when you come inside – 2 minutes
• Pack a snack for the next day and refill your water bottle – 2 minutes
• Bring your plates/cups to the counter and put them in the dishwasher – 2 minutes
• Make your bed – 2 minutes
• Wipe down the counters and the table – 2 minutes
• Start a load of laundry – 2 minutes
• Write down any upcoming dates and appointments – 2 minutes
• Shake out a couple of rugs – 2 minutes
• Take the trash out to the garage – 3 minutes
• Scrub and wipe down 1 toilet – 3 minutes
• Sweep or vacuum a room – 4 minutes
• Vacuum the stairs – 5 minutes
• Fold a load of laundry –  5 minutes
• Empty the dishwasher – 5 minutes
• Pick up a room full of toys/games – 7 minutes
• Put clean laundry away –  8 minutes
• Clean out one drawer in your kitchen or bathroom – 8 minutes
• Throw out expired food in the fridge – 10 minutes
• Plan a breakfast and dinner menu for the week – 10 minutes
• Practice an instrument – 10 minutes

I could keep going, but I think you get the idea.

Also, kids think it’s very fun!

And yes, I know it doesn’t apply to every single household task… but it applies to many of them. Just think of all the things you could do in 10 minutes or less to pick up, organize, clean, and tidy up your home…

It’s a simple concept, but it’s not easy.

Procrastinating is easy… getting up and doing what you don’t really feel like doing even though it might only take a minute or two is not easy. It’s a mind game.

If you remind yourself over and over and over again that you can complete the task in a few minutes, and then force yourself to get up and do it, you won’t end up with huge projects weighing on you a few days or weeks from now. .

Your house will be cleaner, your life will be less stressed, and you’ll be instilling the really great habit of “doing it now” instead of putting it off until later.

You know I’m right.

Want more cleaning tips and tricks? I’ve got lots!

What do you regularly put off until later? What do you do right away?