When the Chief Engineer moved out I decided that 1200 square feet and two bedrooms was too much space for just me, and honestly I wanted some company. I also wanted some incentive to keep the place clean and organized! I decided to put the spare space on Air BnB and within a week had two lovely guests. I specified women only. Both women were my age and very friendly and I was happy to have them over. The extra money didn't hurt on my new budget either!
Before the ladies came I needed to get things cleaned up. I'd really let go after the separation, as you can see!
Except for the kitchen. That was okay.
Problem: I come home, I'm tired, and everything lands on the couch
Or next to the bed!
After ages of decluttering, my problem now is not that I don't have space for things, it's just that I don't put things away. After I tidyed up here's how it all looked. So much better, right?
Does anyone have any suggestions for avoiding the mess in the first place? I'm so tired when I come home from work that I just drop it all and then don't seem to get around to tidying up until I have a reason, like house guests. I think it's good incentive for me to continue to do Air BnB.
Ahh I love a good before and after tidying photo! (Not that your befores were super messy, but still really satisfying!)
ReplyDeleteIf I am feeling uuuurgh about tidying, I look at before and after pictures here: http://unfuckyourhabitat.tumblr.com which reminds me that I much prefer the house to be tidy and gets me started.
Generally I'm pretty good at tidying stuff away before bed...I try and make myself do it every evening (along with the washing up) so I get a nice tidy house to wake up to. (Maybe think of it of being nice to tomorrow's you?!)
Having said that, if I am really, really knackered I do leave things until the next morning sometimes, as I am a morning person and get up ages before I need to leave for work...I have more energy in the morning and whizz around tidying stuff away when I first get up.
I think my top tip is to try and make yourself tidy up each day so it never gets to be a major task...perhaps put work things away as soon as you get home, before you sit down...as I know I find it hard to start moving again once I have flopped onto the sofa!
Also I have found this: http://www.flylady.net useful for reminding me about getting into good habits.
Have to say also that I love the Air BnB as tidying motivation...I always find that the house gets a really good clean when I know people are coming over!
Hello Nicola! Thanks for the flylady link! A routine is definitely something I'm aspiring to...and thanks for your lovely, thoughtful comments!
DeleteI'm also a fan of the motivation to tidy up provided by imminent Airbnb guests.
ReplyDeleteLike NicolaB, I recommend you tidy up on a daily basis. Could you do 15-30 minutes each evening if, instead of doing it when you're tired right after work, you did it around the same time as your clear up after your evening meal? Or could you make it part of your morning routine?
Thanks for your blog. I love following it.
thank you! I definitely need to build a routine of decluttering. Morning seems to work well for me.
DeleteOne would be to make sure everything has its own place and after a while you may find yourself automatically putting things away and second don't exit a room empty-handed, scan to see if something doesn't belong.
ReplyDeletethat's definitely something I need to work on! I don't really have fixed places for everything yet. I can't even decide where all of my clothes live!
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