WEBVTT - 8 Hacks to Keep a Tidy Home AND Stay Sane 0:00:00.560 --> 0:00:03.440 I'd like to begin by acknowledging the traditional custodians of 0:00:03.480 --> 0:00:06.920 country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. 0:00:07.360 --> 0:00:09.960 We pay our respect to their elders past present, and 0:00:10.039 --> 0:00:13.000 extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander 0:00:13.000 --> 0:00:18.360 peoples today. Welcome to Stepping Up the podcast where we 0:00:18.400 --> 0:00:22.680 explore all things organization, mental health routines, personal. 0:00:22.320 --> 0:00:24.079 Development, motherhood and health. 0:00:24.360 --> 0:00:26.960 I'm your host, Steph Pace, and I'm the woman behind 0:00:27.160 --> 0:00:29.920 Just Another Mummy blog and also the founder of Steph 0:00:29.960 --> 0:00:32.599 Pace Planners. But I can assure you this is not 0:00:32.680 --> 0:00:36.440 just another podcast online. I'm known for my organization tips 0:00:36.440 --> 0:00:39.440 and tricks and the occasional banter, but it definitely wasn't 0:00:39.440 --> 0:00:42.120 always this way. I used to be a hot mess 0:00:42.360 --> 0:00:45.440 and occasionally still am. And I'm here as your honest 0:00:45.479 --> 0:00:47.720 and real friend each week to show you how I 0:00:47.760 --> 0:00:49.840 turn my life of chaos into clarity. 0:00:50.280 --> 0:00:52.240 Between the house, health, kids. 0:00:52.040 --> 0:00:54.480 Work, and wanting to be the best version of yourself, 0:00:54.480 --> 0:00:56.600 it can be overwhelming, and I'm here to give you 0:00:56.640 --> 0:00:58.600 the tools and tips to stop you feeling like a 0:00:58.640 --> 0:01:02.000 slave to your daily time, asks, home life, and especially 0:01:02.040 --> 0:01:03.840 the expectations you have on yourself. 0:01:04.480 --> 0:01:05.399 Join me as I share my. 0:01:05.440 --> 0:01:07.640 Journey and insights into the art of balancing at all 0:01:07.760 --> 0:01:09.720 and speak to guests who can help us all live 0:01:09.760 --> 0:01:13.080 a better life. Whether you're looking to streamline your daily routines, 0:01:13.160 --> 0:01:16.800 fish your wellbeing, achieve your fitness goals, diamond to personal development, 0:01:16.920 --> 0:01:19.560 or find inspiration to steff up into the best version 0:01:19.560 --> 0:01:21.000 of yourself, We've got you. 0:01:21.680 --> 0:01:24.200 So are you ready to step up your game? Let's go. 0:01:25.959 --> 0:01:29.720 Hello, guys, and welcome back to Stepping Up Today. We 0:01:29.959 --> 0:01:33.440 are going back to the OG stephing days now. If 0:01:33.440 --> 0:01:36.440 you've followed me from the beginning, you would very much 0:01:36.640 --> 0:01:39.680 so know what the term stephing is and remember all 0:01:39.720 --> 0:01:42.680 of the organization content and the schedules and the free 0:01:42.840 --> 0:01:45.760 downloads and everything I put up every single week for 0:01:45.800 --> 0:01:49.640 you guys. And I do miss those days dreadfully, and 0:01:49.720 --> 0:01:52.520 I promise it is coming back very very soon. I'm 0:01:52.560 --> 0:01:56.440 actually recording this podcast to celebrate that i've finally, after 0:01:56.520 --> 0:02:01.640 five years of having SPP, launched out clean Up Schedule Magnet. 0:02:01.920 --> 0:02:03.520 I can't tell you how many years you guys have 0:02:03.560 --> 0:02:06.200 been asking me for a cleaning schedule Magnet for a 0:02:06.200 --> 0:02:09.519 long time. And she's beautiful she's got everything you could 0:02:09.520 --> 0:02:13.000 possibly need to follow this next tip and keep on 0:02:13.040 --> 0:02:14.239 top of it, and keeps a whole. 0:02:14.160 --> 0:02:14.800 Family in the know. 0:02:15.080 --> 0:02:17.680 They match our other magnets. It's got the gold foiling, 0:02:17.720 --> 0:02:20.000 it's got a section for AM and PM routines, and 0:02:20.040 --> 0:02:22.360 it's got Monday to Sunday and also a section for 0:02:22.520 --> 0:02:23.640 occasional tasks. 0:02:24.080 --> 0:02:25.359 And it's a game changer. 0:02:25.520 --> 0:02:27.120 So I thought today I was going to go back 0:02:27.120 --> 0:02:29.760 to the OG days and talk about cleaning schedules, which 0:02:29.800 --> 0:02:33.359 is my most downloaded resource over one hundred thousand times 0:02:33.480 --> 0:02:33.800 or more. 0:02:34.320 --> 0:02:35.560 And now you. 0:02:35.480 --> 0:02:38.640 Can create your very own cleaning schedule with this custom 0:02:38.760 --> 0:02:41.760 magnet I created to really work for you, not against you. 0:02:41.800 --> 0:02:44.200 There's so many cleaning schedules out there that are just 0:02:44.360 --> 0:02:47.840 too overwhelming and they don't really work. So this one 0:02:47.919 --> 0:02:50.360 is great because you can change it whenever you want, 0:02:50.400 --> 0:02:52.360 because it's a magnet, so you can reuse it. So 0:02:52.520 --> 0:02:55.360 I'm really really excited to announce that. And that is 0:02:55.400 --> 0:02:57.400 one of the biggest questions I've always gotten asked, is 0:02:57.400 --> 0:02:59.040 how do I manage to keep on top of the 0:02:59.080 --> 0:03:01.680 housework where I run a business and I've got kids 0:03:01.800 --> 0:03:04.040 and all the things happening at once. I've actually never 0:03:04.080 --> 0:03:07.640 been good at being overly tidy. I'm naturally more on 0:03:07.680 --> 0:03:10.040 the messy side. It's something that I've always struggled with. 0:03:10.120 --> 0:03:12.400 You guys remember the shower curtain story. 0:03:12.320 --> 0:03:12.960 If you're knew here. 0:03:13.000 --> 0:03:16.280 Basically, when I was little, my shelves were so messy. 0:03:16.480 --> 0:03:19.079 I remember we had all these old sheets and here 0:03:19.120 --> 0:03:20.480 I am going on a tangent. But this was back 0:03:20.480 --> 0:03:23.160 when Pokemon was like humongous, and I know it's big again. 0:03:23.200 --> 0:03:25.000 I love Pokemon. I was a Pokemon master. I had 0:03:25.040 --> 0:03:27.400 every card, and I hate that I never kept them. 0:03:27.400 --> 0:03:29.000 But anyway, so what I would do is I'd draw 0:03:29.000 --> 0:03:31.680 my favorite Pokemon onto a sheet, and I would cut 0:03:31.760 --> 0:03:34.359 the shoutline of it on two layers, so I had 0:03:34.400 --> 0:03:35.960 like a front and a back, So the front that 0:03:36.040 --> 0:03:37.520 had the drawing on it, and then the back, which 0:03:37.560 --> 0:03:39.560 was just a sheet that was in the same shape. 0:03:39.600 --> 0:03:40.880 And then what I did is I would sew up 0:03:40.920 --> 0:03:41.600 the edges. 0:03:41.360 --> 0:03:43.800 And I would stuff it and I'd make my own toys, 0:03:44.120 --> 0:03:46.320 and I used to even sell them sometimes, soe I've 0:03:46.320 --> 0:03:48.680 always been an entrepreneur, would sell them on the street 0:03:48.680 --> 0:03:51.240 to my friends in the neighborhood. And then I also 0:03:51.360 --> 0:03:53.120 would just like make them for myself. So I was 0:03:53.200 --> 0:03:55.160 very crafty, so shit like that. I had all these 0:03:55.200 --> 0:03:57.800 random things. Anyway, So what my parents did is they 0:03:57.880 --> 0:04:00.720 hung a shower curtain across my shelf so you couldn't 0:04:00.760 --> 0:04:03.400 see everything that was going on. So what I'm trying 0:04:03.400 --> 0:04:05.400 to say is, after all of that tangent is I 0:04:05.440 --> 0:04:08.440 am naturally a messy person. And of course, as someone 0:04:08.520 --> 0:04:12.160 that has ADHD, my executive function, which basically means having 0:04:12.160 --> 0:04:15.080 the ability to actually do tasks and carry out tasks 0:04:15.080 --> 0:04:18.240 from beginning to end and initiate the task is really 0:04:18.279 --> 0:04:21.240 body hard, and it gets to the point of being 0:04:21.720 --> 0:04:23.400 so overwhelmed and. 0:04:23.320 --> 0:04:25.279 You just physically like to start. 0:04:25.360 --> 0:04:27.920 Such a basic task is like pulling teeth, And it's 0:04:27.960 --> 0:04:29.920 so hard to explain to people that don't get it, 0:04:30.000 --> 0:04:32.920 but it is like pulling teeth. So over the years, 0:04:33.040 --> 0:04:37.000 I've had to learn routines and hacks and rituals. Because 0:04:37.080 --> 0:04:39.160 I love a tidy house. I love a clean house. 0:04:39.200 --> 0:04:42.559 I struggle to concentrate and just relax when the house 0:04:42.640 --> 0:04:45.800 is messy. Now I've gotten pretty laid back with the state, 0:04:46.000 --> 0:04:48.039 especially when your kids get older. When they're babies, you 0:04:48.080 --> 0:04:49.520 can contain them to a certain area. 0:04:49.600 --> 0:04:50.240 But as they get. 0:04:50.120 --> 0:04:52.360 Older, they can just run wild and they just you know, 0:04:52.360 --> 0:04:55.360 they run free. They put bloody toys everywhere. They get 0:04:55.400 --> 0:04:57.479 all those little hatch and more toys and you step 0:04:57.520 --> 0:05:00.040 on them every two seconds and break your foot. A 0:05:00.080 --> 0:05:02.960 lot harder to control that, which is fine because they're kids, 0:05:03.000 --> 0:05:04.600 and kids need to have fun and they need to 0:05:04.640 --> 0:05:07.360 make mess and that's life. And even without kids, your 0:05:07.360 --> 0:05:09.560 house gets messy. But I'm here to let you know 0:05:09.720 --> 0:05:12.320 that I'm here to change your life. This podcast right 0:05:12.320 --> 0:05:14.520 now is about to change your life. How you upkeep 0:05:14.520 --> 0:05:17.160 your house and the housework, how you look at housework, everything. 0:05:17.200 --> 0:05:19.200 It's going to change the game. And it's also going 0:05:19.240 --> 0:05:21.880 to make you realize why we do get overwhelmed when 0:05:21.920 --> 0:05:24.880 we have to do a big house tidy. This episode 0:05:24.920 --> 0:05:27.240 has multiple hacks, and you were going to want to 0:05:27.240 --> 0:05:29.680 stay till the very end because the last hack is 0:05:29.920 --> 0:05:31.599 literally my favorite hack of all time. 0:05:31.880 --> 0:05:32.920 Drink every time I say hack. 0:05:34.000 --> 0:05:38.240 It's basically going to combat that overwhelm you get when 0:05:38.440 --> 0:05:39.839 you know, you walk into a room or like the 0:05:39.880 --> 0:05:42.719 main living area and there's this stuff everywhere. There's like 0:05:42.920 --> 0:05:47.360 kids clothes, there's toys, there's lip arm, there's male, there's 0:05:47.360 --> 0:05:49.800 all this random shit. It's like all the objects in 0:05:49.839 --> 0:05:51.839 the house decide to have a meeting in like the 0:05:51.839 --> 0:05:53.920 one's place, and they come together, and that is what 0:05:53.960 --> 0:05:55.839 the mess is. So make sure you stay to the 0:05:55.880 --> 0:05:58.120 end for the life altering hack. Now, before I get 0:05:58.120 --> 0:06:00.640 into the tips and routines and hacks on how to 0:06:00.800 --> 0:06:03.120 upkeep a tidy home and your sanity as well and 0:06:03.160 --> 0:06:05.000 not be a robot, I'm gonna give you a bit 0:06:05.000 --> 0:06:07.680 of a reality check on why homes get messy. You 0:06:07.680 --> 0:06:10.920 could be Marie bloody condo and your house still needs 0:06:10.960 --> 0:06:12.960 to be lived in. It still gets messy. I don't 0:06:12.960 --> 0:06:14.560 know if you guys saw. She actually came out after 0:06:14.600 --> 0:06:17.520 she had kids and said, like, she realizes how different 0:06:17.520 --> 0:06:19.600 it is now when she's had kids, like keeping a 0:06:19.640 --> 0:06:21.719 house tidy or something. I can't remember what she said, 0:06:21.720 --> 0:06:23.560 but it was something like that, and I'm like, yeah, 0:06:23.600 --> 0:06:25.440 that's what happens when you have little humans running around 0:06:25.480 --> 0:06:30.159 making bloody mess and putting jam everywhere. Why don't always 0:06:30.240 --> 0:06:33.160 use jam and peanut butter when I talk about mess anyway? 0:06:33.200 --> 0:06:35.719 They are a delicious combo though, So that's probably why. 0:06:35.880 --> 0:06:38.679 So the reasons why homes get messy daily is because 0:06:38.800 --> 0:06:41.560 the main spaces of the home are active. There's people 0:06:41.600 --> 0:06:44.280 living there, people come and go, there's daily activities that 0:06:44.360 --> 0:06:47.800 naturally create clutter and mess. And that's just normal things 0:06:47.839 --> 0:06:50.360 like you know, the kids playing. You may be taking 0:06:50.360 --> 0:06:52.640 your stuff downstairs to do some work. The next thing 0:06:52.640 --> 0:06:54.080 that creates a lot of mess is cooking and eating, 0:06:54.120 --> 0:06:56.120 and that's something that we unfortunately do have to do 0:06:56.320 --> 0:07:00.000 like multiple times a day. Things like prepping meals, cooking dishes, 0:07:00.240 --> 0:07:02.640 making your kids a million snacks because you're a snack bitch. 0:07:03.080 --> 0:07:05.560 That type of thing that creates so much mess. Things 0:07:05.600 --> 0:07:07.800 like personal care. Even you're just like having a shower 0:07:07.880 --> 0:07:10.800 or putting on your skin care, there's gotta be towels dropped. 0:07:10.960 --> 0:07:13.280 You've just put makeup on or you've done your skin care, 0:07:13.280 --> 0:07:15.320 and there's products all over the vanity. That type of 0:07:15.320 --> 0:07:17.920 thing that just creates mess up bathrooms and kitchens and 0:07:17.960 --> 0:07:19.760 things like that. They are the ones that can get 0:07:19.760 --> 0:07:21.400 the messiest the quickest. 0:07:21.680 --> 0:07:22.640 Changing your clothes. 0:07:23.160 --> 0:07:25.360 I know my kids like to wear twenty outfits a 0:07:25.440 --> 0:07:28.480 day and they can't reach the top railing in their wardrobe. 0:07:28.520 --> 0:07:30.040 So I just get them to like chucking in a pile. 0:07:30.240 --> 0:07:32.360 But yes, actually in the new house, Oh, this is 0:07:32.400 --> 0:07:35.040 totally off topic. In the new house, the wardrobe for 0:07:35.080 --> 0:07:38.080 the kids, the top bar has like a handle attached 0:07:38.120 --> 0:07:40.280 and you can pull it down and then they can 0:07:40.320 --> 0:07:42.480 reach the top bar themselves. And we've got it for 0:07:42.560 --> 0:07:44.400 us as well. But how cool is that Now I 0:07:44.400 --> 0:07:45.920 don't have to be like them coming in every two 0:07:45.920 --> 0:07:47.680 seconds ask me to get a bloody dressed down because 0:07:47.680 --> 0:07:50.440 they want to be ELSA. Other things that create messes 0:07:50.560 --> 0:07:54.440 is just like unexpected messes like spills, dirt, kids bringing 0:07:54.480 --> 0:07:57.600 things home and the other thing that creates clutter and 0:07:57.640 --> 0:08:00.880 builds up clutter because clutter doesn't just peer in your house. 0:08:01.080 --> 0:08:03.400 People bring it into your house. And that's going to 0:08:03.440 --> 0:08:05.400 be one of the hacks later on about a rule 0:08:05.440 --> 0:08:08.560 around this. So every day, I know my kids, honestly, 0:08:08.920 --> 0:08:11.640 they bring home, Especially Willow, she brings home like twenty 0:08:11.680 --> 0:08:13.560 pieces of artwork a day. I need to open an 0:08:13.680 --> 0:08:16.280 art gallery, honestly, and she loves it and it's so 0:08:16.320 --> 0:08:18.680 beautiful and I love her art, but she brings home 0:08:18.680 --> 0:08:21.000 a lot. They're the way is your house gets messy? 0:08:21.200 --> 0:08:22.920 Is this the fact that's just the way of life? 0:08:23.000 --> 0:08:25.160 So the first tip or rule that you want to 0:08:25.200 --> 0:08:27.720 do to upkeep your home is don't put it down, 0:08:27.960 --> 0:08:29.840 put it away. And now don't neant to roll your 0:08:29.880 --> 0:08:31.440 eyes with this, because I'm sure you've heard of it before, 0:08:31.560 --> 0:08:35.839 but this is something that when I'm really exercising this rule. 0:08:35.679 --> 0:08:37.520 The house is so much cleaner now. 0:08:37.600 --> 0:08:39.679 Some examples of don't put it down, put it away 0:08:39.920 --> 0:08:42.720 is when you get home and you take your jacket 0:08:42.760 --> 0:08:44.480 off or your jumper, don't check it on the bed, 0:08:44.520 --> 0:08:47.400 hang it up, or usually wear again hook. Yeah, you 0:08:47.440 --> 0:08:49.160 wear again hook is the best. If you guys don't 0:08:49.160 --> 0:08:51.199 know what it is, it's basically command hook. And this 0:08:51.240 --> 0:08:53.240 is the hook for clothes that are too clean to 0:08:53.280 --> 0:08:54.800 gone the wash, but too dirty to go back in 0:08:54.800 --> 0:08:56.560 your wardrobe and you know you're going to wear them again. 0:08:56.559 --> 0:08:58.720 Literally why it's called to wear again hook. Perfect for 0:08:58.800 --> 0:09:02.000 work uniforms, stuff of the kids. Just use the wear 0:09:02.000 --> 0:09:04.720 a gun hook. Another example is if you're working at 0:09:04.760 --> 0:09:06.880 a desk, it depends out you get highlighters out you're 0:09:06.880 --> 0:09:09.080 doing your planner. Once you're done, put them away. You 0:09:09.120 --> 0:09:11.360 know the moment where you look at a surface or 0:09:11.400 --> 0:09:13.880 an area, it could be kid's bedroom floor and you 0:09:13.920 --> 0:09:15.840 look at it and you're like shit, like I just 0:09:15.920 --> 0:09:18.080 don't want to do this. It's too much and it 0:09:18.200 --> 0:09:20.800 just feels like so much effort. But when you do 0:09:20.800 --> 0:09:23.360 do it, it takes not long at all. That is 0:09:23.400 --> 0:09:26.200 because when you're looking at all of the items. You know, 0:09:26.240 --> 0:09:28.400 I said before, all the items in the house are 0:09:28.440 --> 0:09:30.280 like coming together for a meeting, and they're from all 0:09:30.320 --> 0:09:32.599 over the house. The reason why you get so overwhelmed 0:09:32.640 --> 0:09:35.079 and feel like you can't start it is because not 0:09:35.120 --> 0:09:37.520 only does your brain have to do the executive function 0:09:37.600 --> 0:09:39.880 of starting the task, it has to look at every 0:09:39.920 --> 0:09:42.400 single item that's in front of you figure out what 0:09:42.480 --> 0:09:44.400 it is, what does it do, and where does it go, 0:09:44.600 --> 0:09:46.120 which is going to lead me on to my next point. 0:09:46.360 --> 0:09:47.760 And I know I don't have to say this twice, 0:09:47.760 --> 0:09:51.520 but clutter equals mess equals more cleaning for you. So 0:09:51.720 --> 0:09:55.280 this is also where doing a daily decluttering practice comes 0:09:55.320 --> 0:09:57.200 into play. And now when I say that, I don't 0:09:57.240 --> 0:09:58.839 mean I want you to pull out everything in a 0:09:58.960 --> 0:10:01.800 drawer or like take a section each day, which you 0:10:01.840 --> 0:10:04.240 definitely can. And as I always say, when you're decluttering, 0:10:04.280 --> 0:10:05.760 I do not want you to think of the whole house. 0:10:05.960 --> 0:10:07.680 It's like what they say about the staircase. You don't 0:10:07.679 --> 0:10:09.280 want to think of the whole staircase. You want to 0:10:09.320 --> 0:10:10.880 think of the first step. It's the same as when 0:10:10.920 --> 0:10:13.599 you declutter your home. And I will link my decluttering 0:10:13.679 --> 0:10:14.319 challenge below. 0:10:14.520 --> 0:10:16.400 That is a great way to get started. 0:10:16.760 --> 0:10:19.400 But what I mean about doing a daily decluttering is, 0:10:19.520 --> 0:10:22.320 for example, I get home from work or from the 0:10:22.360 --> 0:10:25.000 gym and I see there's a couple of toys chucked 0:10:25.000 --> 0:10:26.840 in the back, there's a bit of rubbishoved in like 0:10:26.880 --> 0:10:27.640 the cup holders. 0:10:27.760 --> 0:10:29.760 I will just grab that. Stuff goes in the bin, 0:10:30.000 --> 0:10:31.600 Stuff goes where it lives. 0:10:31.840 --> 0:10:34.640 And it's just doing these like little daily tidy ups 0:10:34.720 --> 0:10:36.319 as you go. And this will kind of go into 0:10:36.320 --> 0:10:38.600 my next point. But if you see a surface or 0:10:38.640 --> 0:10:40.800 a draw that has a little bit too much stuff, 0:10:40.880 --> 0:10:42.760 or you know, like half of this stuff's just junk, 0:10:42.880 --> 0:10:44.880 just quickly do It'll take you two seconds. So once 0:10:44.920 --> 0:10:46.520 you get into the practice of that, and then you 0:10:46.520 --> 0:10:48.800 can be a bit more intentional by doing like decluttering 0:10:48.840 --> 0:10:52.200 sessions where you literally spend fifteen minutes on one area, 0:10:52.360 --> 0:10:55.560 you'll be so surprised what you can do in fifteen minutes. Honestly, 0:10:55.880 --> 0:10:58.800 So when everything has a home Not only does your 0:10:58.840 --> 0:11:01.199 brain have to work less hard and try to solve 0:11:01.200 --> 0:11:04.800 the problem, it helps you find things quickly. And everyone 0:11:04.800 --> 0:11:07.440 in your family also knows where things go. How many 0:11:07.480 --> 0:11:09.680 times does your partner not know where to put shit? 0:11:09.800 --> 0:11:12.319 Like mate, you live here too, So once everything has 0:11:12.320 --> 0:11:14.600 its home and everyone becomes aware of that, you can 0:11:14.679 --> 0:11:17.440 actually help each other. Now you're probably asking, Okay, that's 0:11:17.440 --> 0:11:19.800 all well and good, Stuffy, I'll do my decluttering every day, 0:11:19.800 --> 0:11:22.240 but how do I actually organize everything into a home. 0:11:22.320 --> 0:11:25.400 I've done a couple of episodes on organization and doing this, 0:11:25.480 --> 0:11:27.760 so I will link them below, But the main ones 0:11:27.840 --> 0:11:30.280 are before you organize any space, you do want to 0:11:30.280 --> 0:11:30.720 do a cull. 0:11:30.800 --> 0:11:31.319 It's like a draw. 0:11:31.400 --> 0:11:32.600 So say, if you've got a drawer and you've got 0:11:32.600 --> 0:11:34.160 like pens and pencils and all this stuff, and it's 0:11:34.160 --> 0:11:36.040 really messy and there's rubbish in there. Are you going 0:11:36.120 --> 0:11:38.040 to try and put tubs in that and organize the 0:11:38.080 --> 0:11:39.720 mess or are you going to get rid of the 0:11:39.760 --> 0:11:42.560 mess and then see what's left, categorize it and then. 0:11:42.480 --> 0:11:43.280 Put your storage in. 0:11:43.480 --> 0:11:46.719 Literally the process cull, categorize contain Definitely check out the 0:11:46.720 --> 0:11:49.320 episodes I link below. There is a kitchen organization one 0:11:49.360 --> 0:11:51.720 which is really really helpful and that's so budget friendly 0:11:51.760 --> 0:11:53.960 if you do want to like buy items, but it 0:11:54.000 --> 0:11:56.839 actually really takes you through the process of organizing. I'll 0:11:56.840 --> 0:11:59.079 make sure I link all of these episodes and resources 0:11:59.080 --> 0:12:01.160 in the show notes below. Now, if you're someone who 0:12:01.160 --> 0:12:03.520 really struggles to look at a space and organize it, 0:12:03.559 --> 0:12:05.600 I kind of want you to think of your room 0:12:05.800 --> 0:12:08.600 or home as zones. So you know, you've got your 0:12:08.720 --> 0:12:10.800 entryway zone. So when you come in the door, you've 0:12:10.800 --> 0:12:12.959 got space by the door, maybe you have a bin 0:12:13.040 --> 0:12:13.640 for shoes. 0:12:13.760 --> 0:12:16.160 You walk through and you think about what you're doing. 0:12:16.240 --> 0:12:18.439 So you've got keys, you've got your phone, and now 0:12:18.480 --> 0:12:20.680 you want to think about Okay, so how am I 0:12:20.720 --> 0:12:23.359 going to store this? So you want to start designating 0:12:23.480 --> 0:12:27.280 zones for practicality. That's where things like my drop off 0:12:27.320 --> 0:12:31.320 zone comes in. So a drop off zone is basically storage. 0:12:31.320 --> 0:12:34.040 I've set up near the door where we chuck our shoes. 0:12:34.080 --> 0:12:35.960 You can chuck your bag, you put your keys in there, 0:12:36.000 --> 0:12:38.000 and you have like those coins and mail. They all 0:12:38.000 --> 0:12:40.160 have a place and we all know where to put them, 0:12:40.200 --> 0:12:42.160 and you also know where to find them. And then 0:12:42.200 --> 0:12:45.000 you can really break it down into specific shelves or 0:12:45.080 --> 0:12:47.840 drawers or containers that you keep all your tech charges. 0:12:47.920 --> 0:12:50.400 So we have a million phone charges and things. I 0:12:50.400 --> 0:12:53.560 don't know why. I have this big plastic ikea container 0:12:53.600 --> 0:12:56.559 that's divided into a fair few sections. Then I organize 0:12:56.559 --> 0:12:59.800 the cables into sections by what type of charger they are, 0:13:00.000 --> 0:13:03.040 even down to having a certain spot in the kitchen, 0:13:03.160 --> 0:13:05.960 in the cupboard for anything the kids need for school lunches, 0:13:06.160 --> 0:13:09.280 whether that's the lunch box themselves, the lunch cooler bag, 0:13:09.520 --> 0:13:13.280 the insulated cup for breaks. Everything goes in the one spot. Now, 0:13:13.320 --> 0:13:15.560 you may not have a lot of storage, so this 0:13:15.640 --> 0:13:18.160 is where you really want to be utilizing vertical space 0:13:18.200 --> 0:13:20.640 as well. I've done this so much in the unit 0:13:20.679 --> 0:13:23.359 here I get over the door hangers that have organizers 0:13:23.360 --> 0:13:25.880 on them, even under the bed storage, which is really 0:13:25.880 --> 0:13:28.560 good for like you know, your seasonal close, extra toys 0:13:28.600 --> 0:13:30.839 for the kids, things like that, but just really like 0:13:30.880 --> 0:13:31.920 think outside the box. 0:13:32.160 --> 0:13:34.840 You can use the door organizers to store your shoes. 0:13:35.040 --> 0:13:36.119 We use the kids. 0:13:36.040 --> 0:13:40.040 Door organizer for school shorts, certain items that they were 0:13:40.080 --> 0:13:42.440 losing all the time because I know they're up off 0:13:42.480 --> 0:13:44.880 the floor and they're like literally as they go to 0:13:44.920 --> 0:13:46.920 walk out the door. They're rite there because every day 0:13:47.200 --> 0:13:48.760 I bought them these little shorts to wear under their 0:13:48.760 --> 0:13:51.360 school dresses, and they'd always lose them. And since I've 0:13:51.360 --> 0:13:54.280 put them there, no problems. It's all about just trying 0:13:54.280 --> 0:13:56.160 to think of like a solution. Another thing that can 0:13:56.200 --> 0:13:58.640 really help with declattering is having the one in, one 0:13:58.720 --> 0:14:01.160 out rule, So every time something comes in the house, 0:14:01.200 --> 0:14:03.960 something needs to go, and that just really helps with, yes, 0:14:04.040 --> 0:14:06.880 stopping the accumulation of stuff that gets brought into the 0:14:06.880 --> 0:14:09.880 house every single day at Bay. Now, before I move 0:14:09.880 --> 0:14:12.160 on to tip number three that you need to do 0:14:12.280 --> 0:14:14.360 every day to keep with the clean house, I want 0:14:14.360 --> 0:14:16.200 to do a quick recap. So the first one is 0:14:16.440 --> 0:14:18.520 don't put it down, put it away, and the second 0:14:18.520 --> 0:14:21.000 one is everything has a home and doing a little 0:14:21.040 --> 0:14:24.200 bit of daily decluttering every single day. And if you 0:14:24.360 --> 0:14:27.360 like the one in, one out rule. Now, the next thing, 0:14:27.520 --> 0:14:30.640 which we all know is from the OG steph days, 0:14:30.720 --> 0:14:34.200 is having a daily and weekly cleaning routine. Again, I 0:14:34.280 --> 0:14:37.480 don't enjoy cleaning. I don't really know who does enjoy cleaning. 0:14:37.640 --> 0:14:39.520 Maybe on the rare occasion when there's not too much 0:14:39.560 --> 0:14:40.560 clutter around. 0:14:40.400 --> 0:14:41.000 It's okay. 0:14:41.120 --> 0:14:43.080 You need to listen to a podcast, but it's not 0:14:43.120 --> 0:14:45.200 my favorite thing to do in the planet. But coming 0:14:45.280 --> 0:14:47.560 up with cleaning schedules is my jam. I love it, 0:14:47.600 --> 0:14:49.440 and mine has changed a lot over the years. Now 0:14:49.440 --> 0:14:51.200 I'm able to outsource a cleaner just to come in 0:14:51.240 --> 0:14:52.800 and do the deep cleaning, which is one of the 0:14:52.840 --> 0:14:54.840 tips I'll give you soon. But I have to say 0:14:54.840 --> 0:14:57.680 here at the unit, it is much much faster to clean. 0:14:57.760 --> 0:14:59.680 It's very quick, and it's one of the great things 0:14:59.680 --> 0:15:01.960 about it having a small space is how quickly you 0:15:02.000 --> 0:15:04.240 can clean up. But as I said, as your lives 0:15:04.320 --> 0:15:07.680 and lifestyles change and your you know, routines change, so 0:15:07.840 --> 0:15:10.840 does this cleaning schedule. You can't always just expect yourself 0:15:10.840 --> 0:15:13.040 to do the same thing throughout your whole life. I 0:15:13.080 --> 0:15:15.360 know people probably hear the word cleaning schedule and they 0:15:15.440 --> 0:15:17.560 roll their eyes. They're like, oh god, it sounds horrible, 0:15:17.800 --> 0:15:19.360 and they're like, oh, you know, I work full time, 0:15:19.400 --> 0:15:22.360 blah blah blah. But I'll tell you, once you start 0:15:22.440 --> 0:15:25.720 doing a cleaning schedule, because you're cleaning certain areas on 0:15:25.760 --> 0:15:29.240 a consistent basis, the cleaning gets cut in half even 0:15:29.240 --> 0:15:31.360 more so, and you get quicker at it. When I'm 0:15:31.360 --> 0:15:34.960 consistent with my cleaning schedule. My weekend cleaning is courted 0:15:35.080 --> 0:15:36.920 at least because the thing is the reason why I 0:15:36.960 --> 0:15:38.800 started doing this too is because I want to be 0:15:38.840 --> 0:15:40.120 with my family. I don't want to spend my whole 0:15:40.120 --> 0:15:42.120 bloody weekend cleaning the house with Ryan. 0:15:42.240 --> 0:15:43.520 We want to be with our kids. 0:15:43.920 --> 0:15:46.680 And it's important that you do get your partner to 0:15:46.760 --> 0:15:48.680 share the load. And I know that can't be the 0:15:48.680 --> 0:15:52.720 same for everybody, and I very much acknowledge there's single parents, 0:15:52.880 --> 0:15:54.720 there's people that with fly in and fly out, there's 0:15:54.720 --> 0:15:57.040 people out there with health issues one hundred percent. But 0:15:57.160 --> 0:15:59.520 I'm saying, if you have anyone in your household that 0:15:59.560 --> 0:16:02.640 you can get to support you with cleaning, please do 0:16:03.000 --> 0:16:05.600 because you deserve to be helped. Now, I want you 0:16:05.680 --> 0:16:08.800 to think of a cleaning schedule like keeping your email 0:16:08.800 --> 0:16:12.360 inbox organized. Imagine during the day you're receiving all these emails. 0:16:12.600 --> 0:16:15.240 If you take ten minutes once a day or twice 0:16:15.240 --> 0:16:19.680 a day at certain times that allows you to read, reply, delete, 0:16:19.920 --> 0:16:22.040 do whatever you need to each email as they come, 0:16:22.200 --> 0:16:25.120 then your inbox stays half manageable and you can also 0:16:25.200 --> 0:16:28.240 find really important messages easily. Now I want you to think, 0:16:28.320 --> 0:16:30.200 if you don't do that and you leave your inbox 0:16:30.240 --> 0:16:32.640 for say a week or even a month, imagine coming 0:16:32.680 --> 0:16:35.520