This Is This Week

About six and a half years ago, I was largely pregnant with my third child and working part-time while figuring out how to homeschool my two older children.

I was overwhelmed by the day-to-day tasks (combined with my pregnancy urges to clean and “nest”).

Around New Years’ Eve, an old friend from high school asked if I wanted to join a cleaning group on Facebook. The idea of the group was to join in and swap stories as we completed a weekly cleaning task.

It sounded perfect and timely — focused cleaning habits for my scattered and overwhelmed brain.

Prior to this, I had never heard the words “decluttering” or “minimalism.” No one had ever suggested before that I might not need a dresser full of clothing I didn’t like or a kitchen full of appliances I didn’t use.

I jumped into the year of weekly cleaning tasks with gusto, and though I didn’t make it through all the tasks (or even complete the whole year), I definitely worked really hard until I gave birth in April. (I did some of the other activities on and off through the rest of the year, but life with a newborn took precedence for sure).

That year was the beginning of my long journey toward a more organized, more disciplined, and less cluttered life.

Gradual Changes

That cleaning group gave me the initial push I needed.

I started listening to cleaning and decluttering podcasts and videos and began to make gradual changes.

Around that time, I laid the foundation for my “nightly reset” routine or whatever you want to call it.

It started with me setting the coffee pot using the timer function at night so the coffee would be ready when I awoke.

Then I started doing the dishes and running the dishwasher every night so I could put away the clean items in the morning.

I can’t identify the exact moment of each transition, but gradually these habits combined and continued to build. I added in wiping down all the kitchen countertops and essentially cleaning the entire kitchen.

For us, the kitchen is the center of the household, and this nightly routine helps our mornings to start off smoothly (at least more often)!

An Ongoing Process

The nightly reset routine is just one of the many changes I have experienced along my cleaning journey.

For years, we homeschooled at the dining room table and the space felt perpetually cluttered and messy. Over time, I implemented systems for schoolwork and designated an “office” space so that school (and all its supplies) have a home and we could reclaim our table for dining.

Our daily and nightly routines have evolved over the years. Things are constantly entering the house.

Kids grow. More babies enter the house. Family members’ needs change.

Know that one process, one system, one purge is not the end. Simplifying your life, creating a routine that works, decluttering – these are tasks to return to again and again.

In the past six years, I have gone through the cabinets, drawers, closets, and rooms in my house countless times. And every time, it is worth it.

I am so grateful to the friend who invited me to that Facebook group many years ago. It changed the way I see just about everything in my life.

If you don’t already have a nightly reset or routine, give it a try! Start with one small tasks you can complete the night before that will make your morning run more smoothly.

I can’t describe the wonderful peace I experience each time I walk downstairs in the morning and “wake up” my house.

I love the fresh start, and even when I don’t feel like cleaning up in the evening, I am always glad I put the house “to bed” the night before.