30 Day Organize athon 30

30-Day Organize-athon | Day 30: Get Organized Mindset Shift #2: Make It A Habit To Avoid Clutter

30-Day Organize-athon 30

Welcome to the 30-Day Organize-athon!

In our final 5 minutes we’re going to make our second organizing mindset shift.

Inhale clarity, freedom and order

Day 30: Get Organized Mindset Shift #2: Make It A Habit To Avoid Clutter

Step 1: Decide to adopt this new habit: Include cleaning up as part of every single task.

Whatever you use, take out, or work on, you put away as part of that activity. Completing a task includes whatever is needed to restore order to the space. As a result, you leave everything at least as tidy as you found it.

Here are some examples:

  • Having dinner? That includes stacking the dishwasher when you’re done.
  • Working on a craft? Returning your craft supplies to their home is part of the project.
  • Watching a DVD? Put all remotes, DVDs and cases back where they belong before you move on.
  • Getting home from work? Include as ‘getting home’ the acts of hanging up your coat, placing keys on the hall table and putting your purse or briefcase in the study (or wherever they live).
  • Wrapping a gift? Replace the sticky tape and gift wrap, and put the gift in a spot that will prompt you to take it to the party.
  • Getting ready to go out? Return discarded outfits to the closet and put away make-up, hair products and the hairdryer.
  • Waking up? Open blinds and windows, make the bed, and leave the bedroom looking tranquil.

You get the idea.

Step 2: Read over the examples again to check that your mindset has shifted!

And you’re done!

Got an Extra 5 Minutes?

This works for the kids, too. Explain to them the idea that they need to include cleaning up as part of every single task.

  • Playing with toys? Playing includes returning every toy to the toy box, bin or drawer where it belongs.
  • Changing out of school clothes? That means putting new clothes on and placing old clothes in the hamper or wherever they need to go.
  • Doing homework? Return books, pencil cases and school stuff to the backpack as part of the homework. (Bonus: This also avoids the homework-left-at-home drama.)

They’ll likely need several gentle and encouraging reminders, but with your patience and help they’ll soon incorporate this habit into their behavior.

Note: This post is adapted from my article: Home Organization: My Very Best Life-Changing Tip For A Clutter-Free Home.

Wow – 30 days of decluttering, organizing and mindset shifting. How awesome are you!

Organize-athon FAQs

I’ve put together a special 30-Day Organize-athon | Getting And Staying Organized Q & A post.

Leave Your Comment Below

Please leave your comment below to say you’ve completed today’s task.

And guess what? I’ll see you tomorrow for a surprise bonus task! Don’t worry – it’s not hard and it will make you feel so good. Smile

[Image by aussiegall]

100 thoughts on “30-Day Organize-athon | Day 30: Get Organized Mindset Shift #2: Make It A Habit To Avoid Clutter

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  2. Debra Page says:

    Finished. Now I can honestly say, I’m done!!Now, my house is in order, sure wish my neighbors still had their houses. So many have died and many more have lost everything but they’re lives. But, things like this sure bring out the best of people. They are all out and doing. They are fetching and carrying. And the chainsaws are really going from daylight to dark.

  3. Laura B says:

    This is a slow process to change your mindset. But I know it’s the thing I need to do. Thanks for the help.

  4. California Closet Organizers says:

    Ahhh clutter, the downfall of so many otherwise clean houses. I think the best way to avoid it is to really think about every purchase you make before you make it. We all buy so much we don’t need. The other stuff that seems to bring clutter, ie mail, bills, paperwork, etc, can be dealt with via some sort of creative storage system. Thanks for the inspiration!

  5. bee says:

    thank you for all the tips and ideas and most of all the encouragement & accountability.
    I couldn’t access the internet yesterday and so did not post on the last day (and stay in the running for prizes) but I’m very happy with the many gifts I’ve just thanked you for…I will very much miss these prompts.
    5 min has seemed do-able even when I’m in pain and doing them helped me keep a positive attitude (eg noting what pots and pans I got by with because I’m not able to bend down and get things out of the under counter cupboards helped change my thinking about what I really needed to keep)

  6. Annette says:

    Days 1-30 done. I have enjoyed these challenges and incorporated the habit of putting things where they belong. Sure makes a home look so inviting.

    I’m thankful that I stuck with this. I didn’t get every task done on the day it was posted, but I did get them completed.

    I enjoyed reading comments and learning new ideas. Seeing that others were getting the tasks completed, helped me to stay motivated.

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