I know this tip doesn’t sound groundbreaking or like new information. For many of you, it’ll be obvious and some of you probably already make this a priority. I think that this little tip is actually a massive one, and can set you up for even better success in your business. Even though it has nothing to do with your business.
BUT if you work from home or even if you don’t, this can really set the creative tone in your home or it can tear it down.
**And before I get all the eye rolls, just know that I TRULY work about 60 hours a week, have two kids and my husband is in ministry FULL TIME. So it IS possible if you work a full time job. I’M DOING IT.
Cleaning your house. Your living space. Your office. All of it. Keeping everything organized, bright, fresh, and smelling good can give you an overall sense of accomplishment and motivation before you’ve even sat down to your work space.
I know for me, I can’t really even begin to focus on my work WELL if there’s dishes in the sink, loads of laundry piling up and stuff scattered about my home. Being realistic, sometimes I DO have to work through the mess- I have kids! Sometimes I DO have to prioritize sitting down at my desk to work during nap time instead of using nap time to pick up the house.
And that’s ok.
I’m talking about making your home a priority before your business each day, in even a small possible way, so you can free up your mind and creative juices to be ever present in your business when those hours of the day arise.
I posted this on my Facebook page over the weekend, and I want to chat about it here because it’s helped me SO much. We’ve only implemented this for just under two weeks and BOTH me AND Jason have made mention that our home just feels lighter. Our over all morale when we wake up in the morning is happier. We can sit down to work in the afternoons and in the evenings and accomplish a lot of work because we know that our house is taken care of. We know that our boys are taken care of. We’ve put the super important things FIRST in effort to make room for other things that also need to get done.
And it’s helped SO much.
I found the list on Pinterest when I was desperately search for ANY tips on how to keep my house more clean in a more consistent way. I found this gem:
Obviously, this can be changed or tailored to fit however is best for you and your life. And there’s also chores that you may have that aren’t on this list that should be incorporated. What’s mostly helped for me is the ‘Every Morning’ and ‘Every Night’ sections. Staying on top of the laundry and dishes has made me feel WAY better about my life. No piles of laundry in the corner of my bedroom. No more dishes cascading the kitchen counters.
No more embarrassment if someone stops by really quickly and unexpectedly.
Basically, I think a clean and tidy home is a sign that you have things under control. I know when you have kids, there’s toys everywhere and messes can accumulate as quickly as they are cleaned. But this list has honestly helped my home to stay tidier than it EVER has, which has directly led to me being able to accomplish more and stay better focused at my job.
Even if you work outside the home, this list would work for you! Could you imagine coming home to a tidy house?!
And honestly, folding a small load of laundry each day takes me about 10 minutes in the morning. Unloading the dish washer also takes about 10 minutes. It hasn’t been a stressful burden; if anything, it’s only helped me more!
So I encourage you. Before you even begin to THINK about work in the morning, get up before your kids and grab a cup of coffee. Read the news or catch up on Facebook or Pinterest or whatever you fancy. Get your kids breakfast, unload the dish washer, and fold the small load of laundry you dried in the dryer last night. When that’s all done, you can then get everyone ready for school, take them and head into your work day knowing that you have already accomplished so much. Many things are in there place. Your home is in order. And you don’t have to stress or feel bad about all the dishes sprawling all over the counter! Once you come home to cook dinner, you’ll only have the mess from dinner to clean up. Not yesterdays and the days before too.
Sound too good to be true?
It’s not. I’m actually living it right now, and focusing on having a clean and tidy home has helped ALL of us to feel lighter. I don’t feel as stressed out. I actually ENJOY being in my home and don’t view it as one big motherly chore. It feels like it should. Things in there places, clean, swept, and totally ready for the next chaotic mess. 🙂
Give this list a try for one week. Once you’ve got it down, you’ll completely feel what I’m feeling. A burden release that will give you the ability to focus on other things like your kids, your husband and your job without feeling guilty that your house is a disaster.
And I promise your kids and husband will love it too.
Stay tuned for more coming soon in this series! And thanks for stopping by to read. I hope this gives you some encouragement. Owning your own business can be daunting at times, but it doesn’t have to be. You have the power and the control to set yourself up for the most success possible AND to love what you’re doing at the same time. All these things work together for me. If my personal life is out of balance, my professional life definitely will be too.
Be encouraged. It’s never too late to start! You got this!
~ Jess xo
*I found the cleaning schedule on Pinterest, but it was originally pinned from HERE.
Stellar Day. 